Fate Triumvirate
by bubbajack
Summary: The Greater Grail has malfunctioned. Now the Fifth Grail War is going to be greater than any War before it. Three Factions, Twenty-one Servants of Legend, with an equal number of magi each ready to go to war for a single wish. In the middle of it all, a boy who refuses to let his home be consumed by flames again... "Trace on!" ShirouxHarem! Rated M for Blood, Gore, and Lemons.
1. Chapter 1

**Fate/Triumvirate**

**By: Bubbajack**

**Beta: Heliosion**

**Disclaimer: I do not own FSN**

**Ch.1: Calm before the Storm.**

* * *

'_This dream, again?'_

Shirou Emiya stood once again atop the hill, a place he visited every night when he closed his eyes ever since his old man, Kiritsugu Emiya passed away. He stood in the shade of a cherry blossom tree in full bloom. The cloudless, azure sky stood in sharp contrast to the rest of the scene. For as far as the eye could see in any direction there was a wheatfield that stood at waist height. Pink petals floated in the breeze and wheat stalks bent to the force of the wind. Beams of sunlight poked through the branches of the cherry blossom tree under which he stood. Shirou knew this had to be a dream for this place was too picturesque, too perfect to be found anywhere on earth.

Or so he thought anyway.

"This place is peaceful," Shirou said to himself and not for the first time as he stared out at the endless expanse of golden-brown stalks.

"Sempai."

Shirou gave a wistful sigh. This was also part of the routine. "But it looks like it's time for me to go again."

"_Sempai_, it's time to wake up."

The wheatfield disappeared in a flash of blinding light. His dream was over again.

* * *

Blearily, Shirou opened his eyes. Blinking several times before he found himself staring up at the roof of his shed, the light from the lone lamp shining directly into his eyes making him wince slightly. Sitting up, the auburn-haired boy offered a tired smile to the sweet young girl who'd awoken him.

She had long purple hair and amethyst eyes, she was already wearing her school uniform which consisted of a pure white shirt beneath a brown blouse and black skirt which did little to hide her feminine figure, not that Shirou would ever comment on it. It was his job as her sempai to protect her from such people after all.

Or so he reasoned. It was his duty of care to take care of his friend. The poor boy was completely clueless as to the girl's affections for him.

'_She's been happier since Shinji went overseas to study abroad.'_ Shirou thought to himself. Shinji was too heavy handed with his sister and being away had really opened her up as a person which made him both happy and a little sad as she was seemingly not needing him as much as she had before. "Thanks Sakura."

Pouting at him, Sakura Matou chastised him gently. "You shouldn't sleep in your shed sempai, it's the middle of February, you could get sick."

"Sorry to worry you." He apologized with a short bow from his sitting position.

"Good, now go get ready while I get started on breakfast." She started to leave before turning around. "You'd better hurry, Taiga should be here any minute."

That was all the motivation Shirou needed to blitz past his Kohei and into his house, a hungry Taiga Fujimura was a dangerous thing after all. '_Sakura has been coming out of her shell more lately. I mean I never thought she'd tease me of all people. She must really, really be glad Shinji is gone, not that I can blame her.'_ Shirou thought this as he slipped on a fresh shirt careful to make sure his door was shut beforehand. He didn't need Sakura seeing what his top hid.

Tattoos covered his back and shoulders. Yakuza tattoos. The bushido code was etched onto his shoulders, while his entire back told the story of a koi fish swimming up a waterfall and becoming a dragon.

He was a walking piece of art.

Shirou, was in fact a fully-fledged member of the Fujimura-gumi, an underling to the big boss and kept this to himself for the most part. Taiga knew of course, and he got his job at the Copenhagen mostly to keep his ear to the ground for Raiga-san, at least when he wasn't repairing everyone's bikes and going on the occasional hunting trip with Raiga-san. The oyabun (boss) had the decency to keep him out of anything too shady and paid the young man well to keep his ears open when at work for rumors of any other outfits moving into Fuyuki along with fixing the groups bikes should they breakdown amongst other tasks juniors had to perform for their sempai. Thanks to this and his own job, Shirou was already quite well off, and if anyone asked, he wasn't actually lying when Kiritsugu left him a large sum of money which really wasn't a lie, that money just went towards the upkeep of his home.

Throwing on a long-sleeved shirt, brown blazer and, slacks he quickly marched over to where his shoes were waiting by the entrance to his home as was customary. Since it was February, Shirou decided to bring his white sweater and black scarf with him.

'_That way Sakura won't worry so much.'_

He made his way into the kitchen and seamlessly assisted Sakura with finishing breakfast. They had just finished placing the omelets and miso soup on the table when the front door opened with a resounding 'BANG' and an exuberant voice called out for attention.

"Shirou! Breakfast!"

"In here Fuji-nee! Nice to see you too by the way." Shirou had taken a drop of his sarcastic side which he usually kept under wraps so as not to offend anyone seep through.

Taiga Fujimura all but bounced into the room with the exuberance of a teenager despite the fact she was an English teacher of twenty-five. The brunette woman was bright eyed and bushy-tailed as always, not that anyone would mention her being bushy tailed, lest they taste her cursed Tora Shinai, a shinai that wouldn't stop till it tasted blood.

Ruffling her little brother's hair, Taiga beamed at him with her green eyes. "Now, now, nee-chan is always happy to see her little brother. She shouldn't have to voice it at this point! Now, lets eat before it gets cold!"

"Itadakimasu!" The trio said before they all dug into the food.

As Taiga inhaled her food like she always did, she looked over her rice bowl at the two teens across from her. '_Shirou bless him, is still totally oblivious. Still I suppose that's a good thing. If he realized Sakura had a thing for him… The two of them alone in this place? Pff, I'd lose my job once they found out two students were doing it right under my nose and I was the guardian of one of them…'_ Taiga let her gaze linger on Shirou then to Sakura eating placidly then back to Shirou. '_Then again, Shirou practically lives and breathes the bushido code, I doubt he'd do anything to Sakura on principal alone.'_

Finishing her bowl and holding it out for thirds, Taiga informed him of what she had been asked to pass on. "Shirou, Gramps wanted you to go on a hunting trip with you today if you can."

Shirou nodded as he filled his surrogate big sisters bowl. "I should be able to, yes. Did he say what we were hunting this time?"

"Big game he said."

Shirou's golden amber eyes widened ever so minutely before he nodded. "Right, I'll be there."

Taiga took her bowl and began chowing down, but she got out between bites. "Good I'll let him know."

Sakura had stayed quiet up to this point. "Do you hunt with Raiga-san often sempai?"

Shirou nodded. "When he needs me, yeah." He plucked the last omelet off his plate when he noticed Taiga eyeing it up and plopped it into his mouth leading Taiga to slump in defeat.

Sakura gave her sensei one of her extra omelets causing her to grin and all but suck the food down her windpipe as the Matou continued her line of questioning. "Do you hunt big game a lot sempai?" Sakura's eyes glittered with concern. "I'd hate to hear you got hurt."

Shirou calmed his perpetual houseguest. "No need to worry, I've done this plenty and being the captain of the archery club helps."

Sakura looked relieved. "Ah, I suppose that's true. Speaking of, shouldn't we be going soon sempai, sensei?" Sakura asked as she glanced at the clock on the wall.

Taiga abruptly stood up when she saw the time. "Sheesh is it that time already?! I gotta go! Seeya!"

Just as quickly as it came, hurricane Taiga had left leaving a devastated breakfast table and dirty dishes in her wake, the only sound of her passing was the fading rev of her scooters motor on the wind. The two students looked at each other before they laughed. They quickly got the dishes done before heading out the door themselves.

* * *

Sakura was in seventh heaven. She was walking to school alone with Sempai for a change. Usually by now, Tohsaka-sempai and her _replacement_ would've made their appearance and she would've had to put on a brave face or all hell would break loose and while she was against violence there were mornings with Shinji no longer around to antagonise that that her that she actually had the energy to be pissed off at her sister rather than tired from being abused by her 'big' brother. Seriously, things had improved for her since Nii-san had left. She still had to endure the worm pit, but she had long gotten used to the feeling of the Crest Worms writhing in and out of her body and had learned to 'turn herself off' for lack of a better term and render herself an unfeeling doll. Without Shinji around to see to her 'needs' Zouken was forced to begrudgingly teach her some of the more advanced Matou magecraft, which led Sakura to setting up bounded fields all around town soaking up the ambient mana in the air, and periodically sending it to herself to keep her worms sated.

Sakura noticed Shirou looking conflicted about something. "Sempai, is everything alright? You seem distracted."

"Tohsaka and Sakatsuki-san haven't shown up yet. It's unusual."

Shirou's offhand comment caused Sakura to pout, not that he noticed. '_Those two aren't even here and that's all he can think about. It's always about Nee-san and my replacement!'_

Miyu Sakatsuki was a young fifteen-year-old girl Tohsaka Rin had taken in off the streets a year ago. Sakura couldn't _stand _the girl. It wasn't bad enough that her sister had replaced her, no, she doted on Miyu, watched her like a hawk, mothered her, and spoiled her to no end. It was as if she was shoving ten years or so of affection into one person and rubbing it in her face in the most efficient time scale possible. It was infuriating. It made her want to… Sakura struggled for a reason to be angry being placid by nature… Ah it made her want to burn the dinner in anger! '_She could do all that for a girl she didn't know, yet she pretended her actual sister was a complete stranger.'_ Sakura cast her sempai a furtive sideways glance. '_What's more, she has an obvious crush on sempai. My sempai! Everyone thinks she's so great, but I know she's mocking me! She has to be. That has to be why she calls me…'_

"Sakura-sempai! Shirou-sempai, help!"

Sakura was pulled out of her dark musings by a certain someone she secretly despised her frantically calling her name. Miyu, Tohsaka-sempai, along with Yukika Saegusa, Kane Himuro, and Kaede Makidera, Class 2-A's Track Trio were being harassed across the street by some rough looking delinquents.

"Sempai what should we… sempai?" Sakura looked to Shirou to see that he had left her side. She quickly found him making his way through traffic, towards the delinquents ignoring the shouts of the people in their cars, his sights were set on the girls in distress. He was literally playing at Moses only one bad car driver and he'd be spending another two weeks in hospital. '_Oh dear, this isn't going to end well.'_ Sakura thought as she watched the scene unfold.

* * *

Shirou ignore the flashing red hand that said it wasn't safe to cross the street, the honking of horns didn't reach his ears, nor did the shouts of angry drivers. To him they were inconsequential at the moment. He had tunnel vision tinged with red, and right now, it was homed in on the delinquents harassing his classmates across the street. He stopped just behind them, taking them in.

All five were the typical fair, blonde haired, unkempt appearance, piercings. Shirou filed them away as generic trash that his brain had no need to remember from second to second. They had the damsels in distress pinned against the wall, leaning in close enough that their smoke riddled breath would stink and preventing them from moving by the sheer vicinity. They weren't his sempai of any kind, his sempai at work would be shot for not wearing a proper suit, and Shirou reasoned Rin keeping them away from Miyu was the only reason they hadn't all lost their teeth yet or were calling home to their mommies to fix their boo-boos.

"Gentlemen." Boy, did that word feel inappropriate. Garbage, hmmm maybe 'things' perhaps? It seemed wrong to assume they were at the same place in terms of evolution as anyone else there. Calling them Neanderthals was almost insulting. "My classmates and I really do need to be getting to class before the tardy bell rings. So, if you don't mind?"

The quintet turned around. One who had a mohawk sneered upon seeing what looked like a normie playing hero and shot his mouth off, brandishing his fist which was wrapped in a chain. The fool hadn't even found one that wasn't rusty as it was staining his fingernails. "Eh, you say something huh? You got a problem with us having a conversation, huh?"

With every word he spoke the punk got closer and closer to Shirou, getting louder as if the volume was supposed to be a deterrent with every word until he was right up in his face. Looking past him towards another member of the group, Shirou calmly declared his intentions.

"I suggest you get your friend and leave before he gets himself hurt. Also, leave your wallets behind. You can at least do the decent thing and pay for these ladies lunches today, don't you think?"

An older boy with his shirt hanging off his shoulders like a cape, blanched upon seeing who his new recruit was talking down to. "Shit, shit, shit! Yaomasa, get the fuck away from him now ya moron! Don't you know who that is?!"

"Some punk who thinks he can be a hero." The now named 'Yaomasa' aka the idiot aka the hospital bound asshole who was going to die said, a smirk on his lips as he shoved Shirou in the shoulder hard. He may as well have tried to push a mountain over as Shirou's strong build kind of shrugged its shoulders and ignored the weak ass punk trying to push him.

The head delinquent aka the smart one who knew when a bitch was going to die shook his head frantically, terror building, as his frequency of shaking became powerful enough to make a hole in the sidewalk. "You idiot. That's 'Red Oni' Emiya. You know the guy who punched out six of Kaoru-sempai's teeth and broke three of his ribs when he tried to steal that purse last year?"

"What?" That was all the delinquent got to say before the level of intelligence of this group simply was too low for anyone who could speak two words could handle. Shirou's arm, the herald of destruction towards fucking morns lashed out like a snake, curving inwards at a right angle before hitting Yaomasa in the jaw. In a dramatic repeat of poor Kaoru-sempai's fate several teeth clattered along the sidewalk as the delinquent fell to the side, Shirou's knee coming up to knock the wind out of him when he nailed him in the stomach. His buddies hissed in displeasure or just maybe it was the sound of bladders being evacuated in double time. He didn't really care as by removing his knee from the man's stomach, pretty much mining for gold from how deep it had been shoved in he allowed him to fall to the ground a bleeding mess, before turning to the man in charge aka the smart one again.

He looked ready to beat the land speed record as soon as he could. Shirou appreciated self preservation. It meant less punching and a tidy uniform. Everybody wins, well except the guy who had a huge dental bill.

"About those wallets? You can give me your cell phones so I can call my boss to go talk to your boss." They all blanched until their skin looked like a corpse washed up on a beach after a week in the ocean. "I'm sure he'll be happy to explain just who runs this part of the city." He kicked the bastard in the ribs again when nobody complied right away. They all heard the snap of another rib, like the crack of a whip. "I have the emergency services on speed dial if you don't hurry up. I'm sure they'll do you all a special rate if we order five ambulances at once."

The still conscious members of the group hastily found their senses, fished around in their pockets, throwing whatever money and cell phones funnily enough they had at Shirou's feet before picking up their fallen member and retreating as quickly as they could. Shirou waited until they were out of sight before claiming his booty. Shirou bent down to pick up the yen, remembering lesson to count it only to have a small pair of arms latch themselves around his neck.

"Sempai, that was so cool! You were all like, leave the wallets and get lost. Then that guy pushed you and you were like pow, then boom, right in the stomach! Where'd you learn to fight like that?!"

Miyu Sakatsuki, adoptive little sister of Rin Tohsaka, cute as a pixie stick in her junior school uniform was hopped up on adrenaline or maybe it was sugar from how Rin spoiled her from seeing her sempai and crush beat up one of the guys who was harassing her nee-san plus her entourage. She was all of fifteen with short ash-black hair and dark green eyes. She was also hopelessly in love with Shirou Emiya. He was warm, kind, and heroic, like the heroes her mother used to read to her about before she passed away and Miyu was forced to survive on the streets, fleeing from _that man_. Miyu knew Shirou would protect her if she knew her circumstances, but she dared not involve him.

For as far as she knew, he wasn't of the Twilight World. There was no room for heroes there but sempai would be perfect if they were holding auditions.

"Nice right hook Emiya, where'd you learn how to do that?" Kaede Makidera, the 'Panther of Homamura' ever the eccentric one of the trio asked who 'mimicked' the free tooth extraction punch. Shirou winced at how she held her knuckles. Ji-ji would eat him alive for such poor form.

Returning Miyu's hug, Shirou replied to both her and Kaede. "I got into a lot of fights when I was younger, to the point where someone took pity on me and taught me to defend myself."

Rin was giving him a once over as if seeing him for the first time. Her stare felt like it was seeing into his soul. "I didn't know you could fight Emiya."

"It was impressive," Himuro, the silver-haired 'straight woman' of the trio complimented.

Shirou bowed respectfully at the praise. It wasn't the first time either but those had been burly tattooed men in the onsen and not cute girls so it meant more this time.

"Thank… thank you for saving us Emiya-san." Yukika managed to get out this out albeit sheepishly, giving him the warmest smile, she could.

He waved off the thanks. It was all in a day's work to punch some punks out of his turf. "Think nothing of it. Here, this is for all of you." He handed them the money the delinquents left behind. "To pay for your lunches."

Seeing her chance to tease him, Makidura smirked. "Lunch on Emiya-san? My how forward. It's a date I guess. See you at lunch then!"

"Wait what?" Shirou had just been blindsided.

"What?" Rin didn't like the sound of this… Tsundere protocols kicked in.

Miyu stopped her foot on the ground and pouted. "No fair, I want to go on a date with sempai too!"

Both Shirou and Rin looked to her and squawked at the same time. "What?!"

"Sempai!" Sakura had finally made it across the street. That had been the longest green light in the world. "You shouldn't be so reckless sempai. What if you had gotten hurt?"

"Sakura-sempai!" Miyu, the sempai seeking missile threw herself around Sakura's waist and it took all of Sakura's willpower not to throw her in front of a car. She allowed herself the day dream for not acting on her homicidal impulses and returned the hug instead.

'_Play nice, the usurper... Miyu's just an innocent girl… don't make a scene in front of sempai… think happy thoughts... Like how much pressure I would need to exert to snap her neck and finally shut her up.' _Sakura thought darkly to herself bringing a pleasant smile to her face. '_Or set her on fire? Oh, maybe feed her to the sharks at the aquarium.'_

Sakura briefly dreamed a nice dream. Shame the city had no aquarium. Could she drown her in the wave machine at the water park instead? She shook her head. It would be hard to make it look like an accident then.

Kaede laughed at their reaction, ruffling Miyu's hair who in vain resisted her perfectly brushed hair being tussled into oblivion. "Give yourself a year… I think this blockhead will still be available." The dark-skinned panther of homamura sent Sakura a knowing look. "Probably."

Shirou was lost. His neanderthal came out as usual when girls became a subject. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Kaede slapped him on the back. "Nothing… don't miss our date for lunch handsome." She shot him a playful wink before walking away with her friends. "Don't forget our…" Something caught her eye and she retreated into the safety of the clique like a herd of wildebeest.

"_Date _sempai?" Sakura was not amused, judging by the sharp glare and sullen pout she was sending his way. '_Bitches are gonna die!'_

Shirou was instantly shot in the heart. Too much pout was bad for his health.

* * *

The group arrived just before the tardy bell rung. Rin politely excused herself to see Miyu to her classes, taking the girl by the hand and all but dragging her away. Miyu never stopped waving to Shirou until she was out of sight and even then she valiantly waved her disembodied arm for a few moments until it was violently pulled away.

"That Miyu sure is energetic… what?" Shirou couldn't understand the looks he was receiving from the women around him.

"There's a limit to how clueless someone can be you know?" Kaede told him with her hands on her hips, as if she was chastising a small child. "How can one boy be so blind and dumb and…"

"I get the _idea… _I think?" Shirou said, rubbing his chin. Kaede threw her hands into the air and stamped her feet. All it made the school boy do was wonder why she was doing some interpretive dance routine. '_What does it take for a girl to speak plainly?'_

Yukika threw in her two cents with an accompanying giggle, causing her chin length brunette hair to sway slightly. The giggle was making Shirou's brain go 'Red Alert! Red Alert!' "I think it's cute like a concussed squirrel banging its head off the tree."

"It does have it's charms." Himuro admitted fixing her glasses. "But only to a point then it gets sad."

Shirou looked between the three. "What are you three talking about?"

"See what I mean?" Himuro said, turning to Shirou. "We'll explain at lunch Emiya-san. Till then." She bowed and the other two followed suit, before making their way into the school.

Rubbing his head in utter confusion, Shirou made his way into the school. "See you at the club later Sakura, have a nice day."

"You too sempai… _Enjoy your date._" She added the last part under her breath with enough venom to kill a city block.

"Did you say something?" He asked this, turning around to look at her quizzically.

"I said I'll see you in the dojo sempai," Sakura replied hastily, plastering a smile on her face. The smile was so fake that any sane person stepped around her even those who hadn't seen it but were just in her general vicinity.

The cute archery girl was _not _happy.

* * *

Lunch came around quicker than Shirou would've liked. The Yakuza henchman was nervous as he made his way towards Class 2-A, every step an echoing step towards prospective doom in his head. '_Was Makidera just teasing me or was she being serious? If she's been holding some form of affection for me, I've had no idea! How does one even act on a date?'_ Shirou had no experience with women. Taiga was an alien existence that would never find a husband so she didn't count. He only knew Taiga had chased off half a dozen suitors simply by being her that her father had arranged for her to meet. Shaking his head, the horrible, _horrifying _thought of one day Shirou himself being arranged for one of those meetings away, he quickly veered off course towards the English room and knocked.

"Come in, come in!" Taiga called. The Christmas Cake was happy to say the least.

When she saw her beloved little brother enter her classroom, with a look of consternation on his face, Taiga was immediately on alert. Perking up in her seat, she resolved to solve her cute little brother's conundrum.

"Ne, ne, Shirou-kun what's wrong?"

Shirou took a moment to answer, his face scrunched in intense concentration as if he was contemplating the secrets of the universe. What came out made her actually sigh in relief, tension slipping away so much she nearly slid back into her chair in relief.

"I got asked out on a date this morning… and I have no idea what to do."

Taiga after recuperating from her hard big sister moment, regained her vigour and smirked like the cat that ate the canary. "So, _she _finally built up her courage enough to ask you, did _she_? Good for _her_."

Shirou blinked in confusion. Did everyone know already? Even Taiga, the woman who was more mouth than woman. "Wait you knew?"

Taiga shrugged. "Sorry Shirou but it was obvious to _everyone _but you."

The young student deflated at his stupidity. Why didn't this stuff come with a manual?

"So, it's been obvious _Makidera-san_ has had a crush on me? How long has this been going on for? Why did you hide it from me so long? Why did everyone?"

Taiga's grin widened. "That's right…" Wait, something didn't sound quite right just then. "Makidera-san the girl on the track team? She asked you out this morning? Sure it wasn't someone else like say..." She just stopped and hid her mouth with both hands. Only two types of people did that in real life. People in anime or Taiga when she almost blurted something out that was important.

"Were you going to say something?" Now Shirou was curious about this secret Fuji-nee was keeping from him.

"I… I can't say." Taiga said firmly. "I won't say!"

Taiga big sister powers activated! Shirou usually backed away when she roared but this time he didn't, disrupting the natural order of all things.

"Fuji-nee."

"_Shirou._" Shirou clammed up. He recognized that tone. It was her 'Yakuza Princess' voice. She only used it on him when he was either sticking his nose in things that didn't involve him, or when he was genuinely getting on her nerves which hadn't since that time a couple of years ago when he ran over that rival gangster at the Yakuza picnic with a golf cart. She had roared at him for hours after her father agreed to pay the medical bills and reimburse the course for the loss of their vehicle. What? His _sempai _had told him to do it. Sure, he drank a lot beforehand but an order was an order… Hmmm he hadn't seen Tadashi-sempai for a while... Taiga took a breath and continued in a less serious tone, the princess taking over from the Yakuza which together made her saying 'hello' to sound like, 'You sir are going to die in the worst manner I can conceive.' "I can't tell you because it just wouldn't be fair to the girl in question. Now, tell me what happened with Makidera-san this morning."

Shirou recounted casually pummeling a delinquent and somehow being roped into paying for the Track Trios lunches. To her credit Taiga treated this like a daily occurrence which it had been since her grandfather filled her in about the family business. It was a funny story truth be told involving a fugu scam, blood and a machete. "So, is it a date or not?"

Taiga rubbed her temples. '_I don't need headaches like this during school hours. Why did Shido-sensei find my bourbon in my desk?... And the gin in my scooter compartment?' _She thought this to herself before she proceeded to answer her adorably clueless little brother. "Knowing what I do of Makidera-chan, I doubt it's a date."

Before Shirou could so much as sigh in relief a voice came from the doorway, causing him to freeze up.

"It's not."

Never had two words relieved a person more. Shirou turned to see the Track Trio standing in the doorway. Himuro looked as stoic as ever, Yukimura was doing her best to stifle a giggle, while Kaede was glaring at him with a blush on her face.

Stomping up to him Kaede bopped him on the head. "Idiot!"

"Ow." His deadpan delivery was apt.

"I wasn't asking you out! It was a joke! You hear me? Joke!" Kaede accentuated the word 'joke' with an additional swat for each syllable to his head.

"Ow, ow, ow." This was going to take a while. Shirou lost his patience about five seconds later. "Alright, alright, I get it. I've never been asked out before, can you blame me for being confused?" The poor Emiya held up his hands in surrender hoping to dissuade anymore assaults to his person. "I bruise easily so please stop."

Kaede ignored the deadpan tone and turned away with a huff. "Idiot!" She made her way back to her friends.

Yukimura chirped up. "I think its cute, that he was so confused. It was sweet how he came to you Fujimura-sensei. I didn't realize the two of you were so close."

Taiga bowed to the trio holding up a hand and closing one eye. Shirou was embarrassed she was copying Magical Girl Chi-chan's famous pose. "I'm Emiya-kun's legal guardian. I'd appreciate it if you kept that to yourselves though. If word got out, the students might think I was playing favorites."

Himuro smiled lightly and gave a thumbs up. "Mom's the word."

Taiga returned the gesture with much more exuberance. "Your awesome Kane-chan."

The silver-haired girl nodded once, as if agreeing with the assessment. "Come Emiya, I believe you owe us lunch. See you around Fujimura-sensei."

Shirou looked at Fujimura-sensei for support but only found her back as she 'worked' by rummaging in one of her drawers. Shirou sighed and departed, knowing there was no haven here.

Fujimura Taiga was later heard roaring as no alcohol would be found in that drawer.

* * *

The four with bread from the cafeteria in hand (Shirou had to give the boss a 70% cut of all shakedowns so it was all he could afford) were huddled up on the roof, covered in jackets to keep warm. Their reason for being on the roof in February was simple. Himuro didn't want their conversation to be overheard, and she knew full well no one in their right mind would be eating lunch on the roof.

After she had finished off her curry bread, Himuro addressed Emiya. To Shirou, it was when he realised that he was surrounded by sharks… he meant girls which amounted to the same thing to a teenage boy with no obvious mean of escape.

"Now we can talk about what we came here to discuss."

"Which is?" Shirou was genuinely confused as to what they wanted to talk about. His eyes skirted to the stairs blocked firmly by the girls.

Pushing up her glasses, Himuro, began her presentation as her friends politely clapped. "Your incredible cluelessness when it comes to the opposite sex."

Shirou felt the sudden urge to pick his jaw up off the floor, all notions of escape evaporating as the most unexpected complaint came up. "I'm… I'm sorry, what? Did you really say what I think you..."

"Dude," Kaede said, getting his attention by fixing him with a deadpan stare. Those were eyes that promised death if he fled. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed how many girls in this school have a thing for you?"

Shirou jerked his head to the side like a rusty truck door that didn't want to move. "You're kidding right?"

"We are not," Himuro affirmed. "Yukika has the list."

"There's a list?!" Shirou squawked.

The sweet girl cleared her throat as Yukika handed her an actual fucking list in paper with hearts doodled on the margins. "Ahem, the list of girls we're sure have feelings for Emiya-san consist of Tohsaka-sempai, Sakura-san, Miyu-chan… we thought Fujimura-sensei liked you, but now that we know she's your legal guardian we can strike her off, and…" The curveball whacked him on the face. "Ayako Mitsuzuri."

Shirou blinked as if in a daze. So many girls! A harem worth easily! So many he had known for ages and Miyu-chan? Wasn't she still playing with dolls? Surely… It was too much for him to take.

"I… you can't be serious?!"

Himuro took up the conversation again. "How about you tell us how this can't be possible, and we provide a counter argument Emiya-san?" The best way to get through to someone was to make it impossible to deny something was true. Failing that, she had a baseball bat to beat it into him if required.

"Tohsaka doesn't like me, she constantly bickers with me. She only hangs around me because Miyu looks up to me like an older brother." Shirou felt confident he'd killed two birds with one stone.

Yukika spoke for the group now. "Tohsaka-sempai bickers with you two reasons." Oddly he heard the sound a revolver going off. "One, she's a perfect example of a tsundere, and two…" Another metaphorical bullet went off and Shirou flinched as if he was bleeding to death from her words. "She can tell Miyu has a thing for you and is doing everything in her power to keep her away from you, or at the very least keep an eye on the two of you so Miyu doesn't do anything foolish. That girl reads way too many romance light novels."

"Tohsaka doesn't trust me to be alone with Miyu-chan does she?" Seeing the track trio shake their heads, Shirou tried a different tactic. "Well, just because she thinks Miyu has feelings for me doesn't mean it's true." He was hanging by a thread.

"She hugs you all the time." Kaede pointed out.

Shirou reiterated a previous point. He had fuck all in his deck to play otherwise. "She thinks of me as an older brother."

"Remember when she had you take her out for ice cream and a movie last year around this time?" Kaede reminded him.

That felt like a trap. Was it a trap though?

"Yeah what about it?"

Kaede's stare and voice became deadpan. "It was on Valentine's Day, Emiya, and you took her out for ice cream and a movie…"

Shirou's mouth fell open for a moment. He did recall receiving some odd looks that day but thought nothing of it at the time. The girls could almost see the light bulb going on over his head as realization set in, his golden eyes widened, and he paled so badly a stiff wind would have finished him off.

"Oh my… That would… make her misunderstand things."

Stupid, thy name is Shirou Emiya.

Kaede grinned, crossing her arms and nodding. A woman who was victorious in her battle of words. "Yep, the school was talking about that for almost a month afterwards. How did you not hear about it through the rumor mill?"

"I spent a lot of time in the student council room after that. Apparently, a lot of things got broken that Issei needed fixed."

The track trio shared a look and in perfect synch they mouthed the same line to one another '_Issei saved him_.' They then shook their heads in unison.

Himuro decided Shirou had stewed enough in his own stupidity and got the conversation back on track. "Which leads us back to Tohsaka. She acts all haughty around you due to Miyu but at the same time, have you noticed whenever you even remotely compliment her, she breaks out into a stuttering mess, then pretends like she doesn't care?"

"Yeah?"

"T-sun-der-re!" Kaede spelled out for him. She had prepared beforehand, a dictionary with the word in it on her phone.

Shirou hung his head as the definition matched the facts. "Am I a bad person for not noticing this sooner?"

The sheer pathetic way he said that had Yukika rubbing his head comfortingly, petting him like a small furry animal. "No, you're just a typical male. It's nothing to be ashamed of but I'm afraid the condition is terminal."

Shirou knew Yukika meant well, but that just made him feel worse.

"But after a while this just got to painful to watch, so we had to step in," Kaede replied with her hands folded behind her head voice filled with exasperation.

'_Rub salt into the wound why don't you?' _Shirou thought to himself. His pride still stinging from Yukika's earlier words.

"Moving on," Himuro continued. It seemed to be her job to keep her friends on task. "Matou-san should be obvious, should she not?"

"Yeah, I mean how could you not notice? The girl has been coming over to your house for more than a year now. People thought you two were dating in secret for a while, until you took Miyu out on Valentine's… then a new set of rumors started." Kaede finished all this with a sly smile. He just knew she had helped spread a few for fun. "Playboy Emiya?"

"That's enough teasing Emiya-san, I do believe he's seen the error of his ways." Though she came to his defense even Himuro couldn't help but smile.

Shirou tried however weakly to deny this. "Sakura, she's family. That's why she has a key."

Kaede's eyes widened. "She has a _key_ to your place, and your not dating her?! C'mon man! You've all but made her your girlfriend, or maybe even your common law wife without actually doing it! She probably gets half your money if you die! Have you no shame!"

Shirou felt as if he was being stabbed with spears with every accusation the panther of Homurahara made towards him. Truly hindsight was twenty-twenty.

Shirou's tone was drier than Death Valley with his response. "Thanks, Kaede-san." Seeing the looks he was getting from the three. "What?"

"Who is the real Emiya-san I wonder? Is he the kind helpful person everyone knows, or is he the delinquent fighting boy with a dry, sarcastic wit?" Himuro wondered aloud.

Shirou looked at the three quizzically. "Huh?"

"Yeah, its like you flipped a switch and became another person this morning." Kaede mused. "It was cool don't get me wrong, but it felt totally out of character for you."

"Well you were all in trouble so…" Shirou shrugged. "I did what I felt I had to."

Yukika noticed something when he lifted his hand up to scratch his head. "Shirou-san, your hand! Did you hurt it this morning?"

Shirou looked at the back of his left hand. There was a red smudge there. "I don't think so, I hit him with my right hand, maybe I cut myself on accident in the kitchen this morning?" Shirou didn't know for sure.

"Last but not least we have Ayako Mitsuzuri." Himuro brought the conversation back to the more important topic fixing her glasses as she did so. She had clearly been enjoying herself way too much.

Shirou knew he had them this time. He had to. They _had_ to be wrong this time. His sanity needed this. "There's no way Ayako likes me, she sees me as more of a rival. In fact, I think she's still miffed I got chosen as Archery Captain over her."

"Her family runs a dojo; martial arts are in her blood. The fact you surpass her in not only archery, but also swordsmanship, makes you a viable suitor to marry."

"Eh!"

Himuro nodded, taking a sip of her canned tea before continuing. "Yes, her parents don't want her marrying just anyone. They want her to marry someone capable. They had her lined up to marry the heir to another school, but then she mentioned you, and how you surpassed her in two forms of martial arts. This has piqued her parent's interest in you. They are letting her pursue you at her own pace though she may be just using this as an excuse to get out of an arranged marriage we feel she wouldn't bring this up without reason."

Shirou nodded slowly. "And you know this… how?"

"Girls changing rooms." Kaede admitted. "Girls talk you know?"

"Oh…" Shirou took a moment to process that. The idea of girls talking terrified him for some reason. "So, what do I do?"

The girl fixed her glasses again, '_Damn this wind.'_ Himuro thought. "Now that you're aware, you just need to choose someone Emiya-san."

Shirou became concerned. "Wouldn't everyone else get hurt if I did that though?"

"That's true," Himuro admitted, "But can things truly continue like this now that you know the facts?"

Shirou pondered aloud. "Isn't there a way I can make everybody happy?"

"Oh no!" Kaede was on her feet making a giant 'X' with her arms. "Don't even think about going down that road! This is _real life_, not an anime! The harem route is a dream, it would never work!"

Shirou looked at his watch, ignoring the fact someone mentioned a harem at all. '_There's still some time left before lunch was over.'_ He made up his mind. "Hmm. Well if it's all the same to you three, I'm going to get a second opinion about all of this."

"Sure, go ahead and talk to Issei-san." Kaede prompted, shooing him towards the rooftop door. "He'll confirm everything we said, but he won't be happy about it."

Shirou was dumbfounded. "How'd you know I was going to see Issei?"

Kaede gave him a look that screamed 'duh'. "He's like your only friend in this school man."

With his hand on the door handle, Shirou turned back. "I have to know, why help me with all of this?"

Himuro chimed in for herself and her friends. "Well, like we said, it was getting hard to watch this go on. However, since you helped us out this morning, we felt it was time to throw you a bone."

Shirou couldn't help but smile at the trio. "You three are good friends."

This declaration of friendship caused the three to smile as Shirou left the rooftop to seek a second opinion.

* * *

"Come in." Issei Ryuudou called when a knock came at the Student Council door. Issei sat in a folding chair enjoying his lunch on an unused Ping-Pong table. He smiled when he saw it was Emiya of all people, of the few he could count on around here to keep the school's budget down and help with school functions. Additionally, he was part of an even smaller group of people that Issei considered friends. "Ah Emiya, there you are. Were you fixing something around the school instead of eating lunch again?" This wouldn't be the first time the redhead had done so, and while Issei found it admirable, going without nourishment did no one any good least of all Emiya himself. "You should take better care of yourself you know?"

Shirou smiled at his friend's gentle rebuke. "Don't worry, I ate Issei, on the roof with Kaede Makidera, Kane Himuro, and Yukika Saegusa."

This surprised the Student Council President. "I didn't know you and 2-A's Track Trio were close."

Shirou rubbed the back of his head, "This was a recent development…" Shirou became serious. "I need to ask you something Issei and I need you to be honest with me alright?"

Feeling the weight of the conversation had shifted from levity to something more prominent, Issei sat up straighter in his chair. "Alright Emiya, tell me what's on your mind and I'll do the best I can."

Shirou took a deep breath. He needed a moment to organize his thoughts. "Issei, is it true that multiple girls in the school like me as more than a friend?"

'_Damn it! Who blabbed?! I'll have their heads!'_ Doing his best not to lose his composure Issei questioned his friend for the idiots who gave it up. They would be finding the worst jobs in the next school festival. "Who told you this?"

"The Track Trio, they brought it up during lunch." Shirou admitted. "The fact Tohsaka-san, Ayako-san, Sakura-chan, and Miyu-chan like me. They were pretty convincing, but I wanted to know for sure… is it true Issei?"

Now Issei was in a bind. For he had already promised not to lie to his friend. As a monk who lives at a Ryuudou Temple he takes his vows very seriously… on the other hand, he'd bet several thousand yen that by the end of senior year that Emiya wouldn't end up with anyone. He could ensure he'd claim the pot right now with but a few words… but Emiya was his friend…

Truly it was a conundrum. His vows or his pocket? In the end Buddha won over.

"It is true my friend," Issei affirmed, adding, "If I were you, I would ignore it. The pleasures of the flesh only lead away from enlightenment."

Flopping in a seat across from his friend, Shirou became solemn. "I don't know if I can ignore it Issei, it wouldn't be fair to them."

Knowing he was shooting himself in the foot Issei did what he could to help his friend with his dilemma. "That's just so like you Emiya. You want to help as many people as you can. Your like Kannon, the thousand-armed buddha of compassion. You always reach out to help people in need. In this instance however, you have a choice to make."

Shirou nodded. He'd half hoped Issei would tell him it was all a joke but even though he didn't know the Track Trio very well, they didn't seem the type to play a cruel joke like this. "Thanks for trying to help Issei, I appreciate it." Shirou stood up. "Class is going to start soon, I should go."

"Of course, see you later Emiya."

The moment the door to the student council room shut Issei held his head in his hands. "Damn those girls, they just lost me three hundred thousand yen!"

How was he going to buy that car after graduation now?

* * *

The final bell for the day had rung and Shirou found himself dragging his feet as he made his way towards the archery dojo. He knew he had a job to do as the captain but both Sakura and Ayako were there, and he had no idea how to act around either of them now.

'_What do I do? Should I just act like everything is normal? I guess I could give that a shot.'_

"_But can things truly continue like this now that you know the facts?"_ Himuro's words came back to haunt him like a ghost.

"Emiya-san." Shirou turned on his heel finding the Track Trio standing behind him in bloomers and tee-shirts of all things. Any normal boy would've given them a once over and a wolf whistle, he however became concerned they were dressed like that in this weather.

"Shouldn't you three be in the gym? It's too cold for you to be out here dressed like that."

Half lidding her eyes, Kaede was full on sex kitten. "Like what you see Emiya?"

Shirou's tone was flat, the joke unappreciated after she basically took a machete to his worldview. "If I say yes, will you go inside before you catch your deaths?"

Gently tugging his cheek, Kaede cooed playfully. "There's that deadpan snarker we've wanted to see."

Pulling her friend's hand away Himuro made with the explaining. "The gym's basketball lines are being repainted and the floor is going to have another coat of clear coat applied so we can't practice for the next couple of days. We also realized shortly after you left that we might've made things awkward for you and decided to come here for moral support."

"Dressed like that?" Shirou couldn't help but bring up their attire. "You almost gave me a coronary."

"So, you _did _like what you saw." Kaede teased.

"The coach still makes us dress," Yukika explained, not at all bothered by Shirou's comment their outfits were quite eye-catching after all, and Shirou _was_ a teenager. To Shirou it confirmed the rumours that the old man in charge of the team was a pervert.

"Anyway, shall head inside?" Himuro asked, needing to fix her glasses yet again. "As you pointed out, it is rather cold to be dressed like this."

"Right follow me." Shirou led them into the archery dojo proper, its long wooden floors gleamed and, despite the range being open to the elements, it was still kept plenty warm thanks to various heaters that had been donated to the clubroom by the Fujimura-gumi.

"There you are captain." Ayako Mitsuzuri smiled at him when she saw him approach. She was the same year as him with her dark brown hair framing her face and matching her eyes. She was already in her shooting uniform and was both relieved to see Shirou had shown up and confused as to why the track trio was following in his wake. "I thought you might've gotten roped into fixing something for the Student Council again. Why is the Track Trio with you?"

"We have names you know!" Kaede shot back. "Do I need a name tag?"

Himuro stepped forward to speak, ignoring the outburst. "Track was cancelled due to the gym being repainted. Shirou-san let us come and watch you practice. I hope that's alright, Mitsuzuri-san."

Ayako looked to her captain for confirmation. Getting a nod, she shrugged. It was out of her hands. "If Shirou's ok with it I don't see why not. It's not like it matters if you stick around anyway as long as you don't make a lot of noise when people are shooting."

"We'll be quiet," Himuro promised, shooting Kaede a look as if to reinforce that oath.

Turning towards the changing rooms, Shirou did the necessary explaining. "Feel free to make yourselves comfortable. There is tea and snacks over there if you can wrest them from Fujimura-sensei."

The last thing Shirou heard before heading into the changing rooms was garbled but he was sure he heard it right.

"Alright sensei, hand over the Taiyaki and nobody gets hurt."

"GAO!" The tiger released her roar of challenge and battle was joined. Shirou decided to take his time to get dressed.

Shirou returned from the changing rooms, to an amusing sight. That of Kaede Makidera and Taiga Fujimura pulling on each other's faces like small children, seemingly fighting over a box of Taiyaki.

"Really Fujimura-sensei? Aren't you supposed to be the teacher who oversees this club?" Shirou did his best to sound like a disappointed little brother. "Shouldn't you be more welcoming to visitors?"

Taiga acted like she'd been told there would be no dinner. "But… But… But Shirou!"

"No buts," Shirou chastised. "Your a teacher remember? Your supposed to be setting the example… I shouldn't even have to be telling you this. Now stop picking on Kaede-san so we can get back to actual archery please."

Taiga, with her tail tucked firmly between her legs, went to sulk in the corner while Shirou took control of the club like he usually did.

"Nice job defusing that mess Emiya." Ayako praised. "As funny as it was, I was afraid we wouldn't get any actual archery done today. You really know your way around Fujimura-sensei. It's amazing."

Shirou waved off her praise. "It's nothing really. Would you like to shoot first today?"

Ayaka considered the idea for a moment before shaking her head. "No, we have guests. We should give them a proper showing of what the Archery Club can really do. You should shoot." Ayaka's declaration surprised him, yet she motioned to the Track Trio who while seeming inconspicuous were actually paying rapt attention to their conversation. "They should see our best at work."

Shirou honestly couldn't tell if Ayaka was flirting with him right now or not, but regardless, she had a point. As the Captain of the Archery Club he should put on a good display for their guests. He gave a nod.

"Sure, why not."

As Shirou approached the shooting line, both Ayaka and Sakura sat down in seiza position next to the Track Trio. Ayaka spoke in hushed tones. "Watch closely now you three, your about to see something amazing."

"Why are we whispering? Emiya is just going to shoot a bow," Kaede commented in low tones.

Ayaka shot her guest a short but poignant glare. "Just like there is more to track than just running, there is more to Archery than just shooting the bow. Sakura, if you could explain the steps to them as Emiya goes through the motions that would help I think."

The Matou nodded not taking her eyes off the object of her affections. "Sempai has already completed the first two of the eight steps. _Ashibumi_, taking ones place at the firing line, and _Dozukuri_, forming the body. See how Sempai is straight backed and how his body and posture is forming a straight line from shoulders to feet?"

"Yes, I'm assuming this has a practical purpose?" Himuro questioned.

"It does," Sakura affirmed, "It prevents the bowstring from striking the archer's face when they shoot." The moment Shirou took the bowstring into his right hand, Sakura continued. "Sempai has moved onto the next step, _Yugamae_, readying the bow."

He turned his head to face the target and raised the now nocked arrow and bow above his head.

"_Uchiokoshi_, raising the bow. The archer raises the bow above the head to prepare for the draw."

Shirou pulled the bowstring back while pushing the bow itself forwards away from him.

"_Hikiwake_, drawing apart. The archer starts bringing down the bow while spreading his arms, simultaneously pushing the bow with the left hand and drawing the string with the right."

Shirou had reached full draw with his bow.

"_Kai_, the full draw. The archer continues the movement started in Hikiwake, until full draw is achieved with the arrow placed slightly below the cheekbone or level with the mouth. The arrow points along the line set up during _ashibumi_." Sakura glanced at the mesmerized Track Trio who were watching Shirou's every move with rapt attention now. Her explanations had drawn them in and brought the art of Kyudo to life for them. "Now comes the fun part."

The air, and even time itself seemed to still. For a brief moment, no one even dared breath in the archery dojo… then, Shirou released his arrow.

"_Hanare_, the release. The technique results in the bowstring being released from the right hand and the right arm extending behind the archer."

Even after the shot was fired Shirou stayed stock still as if in a trance or daze. Himuro looked concerned. "Is this normal behavior Sakura-san?"

"Don't worry, this is just the last step in action. _Zanshin_, 'the remaining body or mind' or 'the continuation of the shot'. The archer remains in the position reached after _hanare_ while returning from the state of concentration some would even go so far as to say Zen associated with the shot."

Shirou quickly came out of his daze and lowered his bow before stepping back. He turned towards his guests. "Well, what did you think?"

The three had been so wrapped up in Sakura's explanation and actually seeing Shirou shoot they didn't actually see how well he did. Getting up, the Trio looked to the target Shirou had been aiming at. He'd scored a dead center perfect bullseye.

Yukika was the first to congratulate him. "Wow, that was amazing Shirou-san!"

"Yeah, you hit dead on! What luck," Kaede complimented.

Himuro shook her head. "That wasn't luck, that was skill plain and simple. Shirou-san is just that good."

Shirou tried to be humble. "I'm really not that…"

But certain people weren't having it.

"Sempai really is that good," Sakura praised.

Ayako threw in her two yen. "Yeah do you know he's only ever missed one shot, and this guy actually called it beforehand? It's like he's got a sixth sense when it comes to archery."

"Wow…" Yukika was enthralled. "That's amazing Shirou-san!"

Shirou was glad they seemed to enjoy his display. It meant they might be receptive to his proposal. "Well then, how about this? Would you three like to try your hand at archery for the next couple of days? Since you can't actually do your club anyway, I thought you might like to give this a shot."

"Will we need new uniforms?" Himuro asked.

Shirou shook his head. "No, you only really need a glove which we have plenty of spares of, and a chest guard."

"Chest guard?" Kaede echoed she looked at Sakura and Ayaka and noted they yes, they were wearing hard plastic guard around their chests, while Shirou hadn't needed one. "Why do we need chest guards?"

Sakura coughed blushing a bit before explaining. "Its to prevent the bowstring from hitting you in the chest when you fire."

"Oh… ouch!" While Kaede was the most vocal, but both Yukika and Himuro didn't seem too thrilled at being struck in the breast by a bowstring.

Shirou politely pretended he didn't hear the previous conversation like most men did when women talked about feminine things. "So, interested?"

The three looked at each other and nodded. Shirou smiled, glad he could help them out. "Great, let's get started."

* * *

Shirou found himself impressed by the Track Trio by the end of practice today. All three had managed to hit their targets. Kaede had the most trouble always hitting either around or just outside the bullseye, while Himuro would strike the bullseye occasionally. The biggest surprise was Yukika. She only managed to hit the furthest ring on her first shot, but every subsequent shot after that came closer and closer to the center until she managed to land her shots there.

"Very impressive Yukika-san." Shirou praised at the end of the club activities for the day. "I've never seen someone improve so quickly in one day. It's astounding really."

Yukika blushed and smiled at the praise. "It's nothing really Shirou-san. Once I realized firing the bow was just an active use of geometry it was easy for me to compensate my shots to…" Seeing everyone staring at her Yukika pressed her fingers together bashfully. "I'm in the advanced math class with Tohsaka-sempai."

Ayaka couldn't help but whistle. "So basically, you can calculate the flightpath of the arrow in your head?" Seeing the girl nod timidly, Ayaka couldn't help but shake her head in amazement. "Emiya, you might be a natural, but if Yukika-san can out think you when it comes to shooting it hardly matters."

Shirou couldn't disagree completely. "Yukika-san does possess an impressive skill."

The girl beamed under all the praise she was receiving. Truth be told, she was only average at track and joined because Kaede insisted much like she did with Himuro, who would've rather been in home economics. They joined the track team to spend more time with their friend but of the two of them, only Kane had found she had some talent for it, specializing in the long jump, while Kaede was already a prominent sprinter.

Yukika was thinking that perhaps she was in the wrong club. '_It would be nice, to be in a club where I'm actually good at the sport,'_ Yukika thought to herself as she followed her friends to change back into their school uniforms.

* * *

Shirou, Sakura, Ayaka, and the Track Trio were making their way towards the school gates when Shirou noticed someone casually leaning up against them as if waiting for someone. He was wearing a white jacket that was trimmed in fur, and a black shit beneath that along with black jeans and biker boots. The thing that tipped Shirou off to the person's identity was the long curly purple hair the man sported that went all the way down to his shoulders.

Shirou couldn't help but stop and call out. "Shinji?"

Shinji looked up saw Shirou and his little sister and smiled, before walking forwards with his hand outstretched. "Emiya! You been taking good care of my little sister while I was away man?"

Seeing Shinji going for a handshake, Shirou met him halfway gripping his own palm firmly. '_He's gotten stronger since he's been away,'_ Shirou noted absently noting he was no longer the limp noodle he used to be. "I've been looking after her like I always do, I hope that's ok?"

Shinji smiled at him, Shirou felt that it was more sincere than he recalled. "Sure, sure, I trust her with you after all." Shinji then looked past his friend, and called out to Sakura, "Hey Sakura! What do I gotta do to get a hug from my favorite little sister? Dance a jig?"

Sakura who had been staring at Shinji like a deer in headlights up till now snapped out of her daze and made her way over at a pace at which a condemned person might walk to their execution.

'_It seems my happy days with sempai are over.,'_ Sakura thought as she moved to embrace Shinji, plastering the fakest smile she could on her face. "It's good to see you again nii-san. I had no idea you were coming back."

Shinji just chuckled and ruffled her hair in an affectionate manner. "Well it wouldn't have been much of a surprise if I'd have told you I was coming now would it?"

Sakura was in a state of confusion. Shinji had never been this affectionate towards her, not after he learned the truth of her adoption into the Matou household. '_What is going on here?'_

Shirou did his best to break the ice. "So, Shinji, what was it like overseas?"

Shinji put his hands on his hips and looking down with a smirk. "Total crap man. In London, where I studied, it rained all the time, the air smelled like car exhaust, and the food…" Shinji shuddered. "The food was… not terrible, but their idea of fish over there was tempura frying and only tempura frying. After a while, I was dying for some sushi or udon."

"Yo, Wakame." Kaede greeted using his old nickname of 'seaweed' due to his hair, hoping to rile him up bot instead only causing him to chuckle. "How'd you get here from the airport?"

"Nice to see you too panther. Still running?"

Hands on hips, Kaede gave him a deadpan glare. "Duh, and you didn't answer my question."

Jabbing a thumb behind him, Shinji casually replied to her. "That's how."

The teens saw a silver and chrome Harley Davidson parked just across the street from the school's entrance.

"Matou?"

The group turned to see Rin standing there with Miyu. Shinji waved casually towards the school idol. "Hey Tohsaka." He saw Miyu and looked curious. "Who's the kid?"

"This is Miyu Sakatsuki. I'm her legal guardian." Rin got defensively in front of her ward.

Shinji quirked an eyebrow. "There letting kids raise kids now? Is Japan slowly turning into America or something?"

Tohsaka bristled at the perceived slight and prepared to knock Shinji on his ass when he made his way towards her while reaching into his jacket pocket. Stopping just out of her striking range, he took a knee and pulled of all things a sucker out of his pocket, offering it to Miyu. "Here kid, even though I'm sure you're just chock full of sweetness already have some extra sugar, on me."

The candy disappeared from Shinji's grip in a blur of motion. Looking at him with innocent eyes as she held the lollipop, the girl stared curiously at the newcomer with the cool bike. "Are you friends with Nee-san?" Miyu inquired

Shinji chuckled as he picked himself up and dusted off his pants. "No not really. You're nee-san could hardly stand me before I left. Not that I can really blame her."

"Who are you and what have you done with Shinji Matou?" Rin asked narrowing her aquamarine eyes at him.

"Very funny Tohsaka. People can change you know?" Seeing the incredulous look he was getting from the school idol he shrugged. He didn't come all the way back to Fuyuki to convince her of anything. "Anyway, I mainly came here to say hi and pick Sakura up from school. Since I'm back I figured we could go out for dinner and catch up, unless you had plans already, of course?" Shinji looked to Sakura waiting for an answer.

Sakura didn't have plans per se, just what she usually did. Going over to sempai's place and cooking dinner with him before heading back to the Matou house. She could've easily said yes and seen how Shinji reacted, to see if this was some kind of mask or front he was putting up. But something about how he was acting… Sakura wanted to know what brought this on. So, Sakura found herself shaking her head.

"No Nii-san, I don't have any plans."

Shinji was ecstatic. "Cool! Let's get going then seeya around everyone!" Shinji waved before he made his way over to his motorcycle, the engine roaring to life like a jungle cat.

"I'll see you all tomorrow." Sakura bowed to everyone, shooting Shirou a silent apology before she rushed to the bike, putting on the helmet he offered her before taking off down the street.

Kaede voiced what everyone else was thinking at the moment Shinji and Sakura had left. "What the hell happened to Shinji overseas?"

Shirou didn't know, but it seemed to have made him a better person, so he wasn't going to complain. "Whatever happened, it seems to have been for the best. Shinji's attitude seems to have improved. The only thing we can hope for is that this is permanent."

Kane nodded, fixing her glasses. "I agree, if Shinji has developed more characteristics akin to an actual human being and not a baboon, we should consider this an improvement. One that hopefully sticks."

With that hopeful thought in everyone's minds they parted ways for the day, each wondering what could've happened to Shinji Matou.

* * *

Shinji pulled into the parking lot of a very ritzy looking steak joint. Sakura honestly half expected him to to drop the act and become his usual mean spirited self once they were out of sight of the others, but she found herself entering a lavish establishment instead. The floors were your usual gleaming polished wood, and the upper storey was being held up by solid looking pillars that smelt as fresh as the day the lumberjack chopped them down. In the middle of the room was a plain blue tiled dance floor that had a mixed bag of patrons dancing to some music while others sat around quaint tables eating and drinking. The hostess, a young college age girl who looked bored that really didn't go with the elaborate purple and gold kimono as she stood at a reception booth, her hair into a bun and held up with a pair of chopsticks. In fact, if Sakura was not mistaken that light was her cell phone which wasn't very professional. All that was missing was her blowing bubbles with some gum.

Shinji swaggered over oozing charm and talked (or was it flirted the panties off) to her for a bit as the dead girl walking gazed at her glamorous surroundings, feeling rather subconscious and naked at the same time with all these fancy dressed people making her feel underdressed to be in such a place wearing only her school uniform after a long day in classes. She was drawn out of her coltish, borderline childish gazing left and right when Shinji touched her shoulder, causing her to attempt to defy the earth's gravity with how high she flew up, startled to say the least in a manner so obvious she may as well have worn a sandwich board with the word 'scared' on it.

"C'mon, you can look around later, I've booked us a private room so we can talk without being overheard."

The funeral march started to play in her head. Here was the moment of truth!

"Nii-san," Sakura asked worriedly, grabbing his arm as Shinji headed towards the stairs where their waitress, a cute young girl again around the same age as the hostess and equally glammed up if maybe a bit better with the makeup who kept batting her eyes Shinji's way, was waiting. "How are you paying for all of this?"

Shinji's magic wallet produced cash, several thousand-yen notes in front of her. She looked at it like she knew her brother didn't have that sort of money. He smirked at her in a way that didn't make her feel violated. It was strange to say the least like a lion promising not to eat the two legged gazelle and actually doing it.

"Don't worry about it."

The two Matou siblings were soon settled into a private booth and their pretty waitress left them with a special glare for Sakura when she thought nobody was looking with their laminated black covered menus to decide what they wanted. Once the curtains of their booth were pushed over, and the waitress's footsteps faded into the distance, Sakura turned to Shunji, slightly miffed that she thought that her brother was her date to see the eighth wonder of the world. Her brother, Shinji 'freaking' Matou was sitting on his knees, palms flatly pressed on the floor and with his forehead following suit. Sakura's mouth fell agape slightly and honesty to god she pinched herself hard enough to make her say 'ow' in pain due to the absurdity of this miraculous miracle worthy of sainthood if one were to see it. No, she wasn't suffering from the effects of today's mushroom dish at the cafeteria, she indeed recognized the Dogeza position immediately of course, but she couldn't for the life of her comprehend why _Shinji _was doing it.

Her mind did remind her again that A Shinji was in fact begging for forgiveness and B he was talking equally incredulous things. So yeah, she started to listen. Listen she did…

It was strange, so very, Very, _VERY… _she had better stop that… strange!

"Sakura? Did you hear what I said? I am… so sorry Sakura. Please forgive me for all my transgressions imouto."

"Nii… Nii-san?" Sakura was having trouble making words at the moment. "Nii-san?" She repeated this like a broken record for her sanity was equally cracked at this time. Weird shit was afoot.

Shinji refused to raise his head but words clear as day backing up his 'reforms' was clear as day. "I know I don't deserve forgiveness, not after how I've treated you… after what I've done to you, and apologizing isn't nearly enough to earn your forgiveness."

"Nii-san, you… you don't…" Sakura interjected only for Shinji to interrupt her in turn.

"Let me finish please!" Shinji had raised his voice slightly but there was also a _plea _there. She recognised a plea as good as anyone seeing to begin with the girl pleaded a lot for everything to go back to normal. She could tell despite her reservations that he needed this. Sakura nodded frantically, fell silent, and Shinji took that as his cue to continue. "I know just apologizing and asking for forgiveness isn't enough, so I'm going to prove it. Starting with acting like the big brother I always should've and keeping you safe… I hope, in time, you will find it in your heart to forgive me for everything." Sakura made it speak so Shinji, the horrible big brother of the year ended with a stoic conclusion that made the girl believe her brother at least believed in what he was saying. "After I've _earned _it."

There was a heavy silence in the room, thick enough to cut with a chainsaw or block a shotgun blast at point blank which the younger of the two Matou's finally broke. She had so much going on in her head. She wondered first if this was a trick. She had never known to her big brother to be so resolute on anything that did not benefit him directly and anything else was a distant second to his selfish life. If this was the case it was one hell of a trick. He was spending money on her! Shinji despised giving her the coins to get juice from a vending machine. He had once made her nearly dehydrate by taking all her change on the hottest day of the year! Still her nature was to forgive. Sakura had not much choice living with the Matou if not to forgive or become the hateful monster her host and his grandson had been. So this, any light at the other end of the tunnel? Heck, she was not very courageous by nature, enduring hell was not the same as facing it after all but this… She was willing to at least try… and if she got hurt? She knew pain, a familiar friend to her so taking one more chance on her brother was worth her getting a decent meal before the beating back home if this was a ruse…

Sakura would soldier on as always and so she would take the first step... First, by gently placing a hand on her brother's head. It was a new experience feeling his hair… It felt like a new beginning.

"I never hated you, Nii-san. I hate Tokiomi Tohsaka for sending me to the Matou, I hate grandfather for what he's put me through, and I hate Rin for pretending like we're strangers and replacing me with _that girl_." Sakura paused to collect herself. Confession was very good for the soul. "But I've never hated you, feared you yes but never hated."

It took Sakura a moment to notice Shinji was quivering from his Dogeza position like a volcano about to go nova. Her thoughts betrayed her as she recognised this shaking for anger before a fit and backed away. What actually happened again supported his claims that the guy was reformed.

"How… how can you say that after I was so cruel to you? I just stood by and let you get thrown into the Worm Pit. I've insulted and belittled you for years!" Shinji's voice came out thick and heavy with emotion.

Sakura took a moment to consider it. Her introspective made Shinji look ashamed. "I guess it's because… in you, I saw a lot of myself."

Shinji stiffened and looked up at her with tears, confusion in his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Nii-san… Shinji," Sakura corrected, showing her mettle as Shirou-sempai had demonstrated to her even if after today she was not quite sure what sempai actually was with those _girls_… Focus, focus! Situation sempai was another day's problem. "I was thrown away by the Tohsaka family, and completely forgotten about by them, because I wasn't good enough. You weren't made the Matou heir because you weren't good enough. Neither of us was ever good enough for our families Nii-san. So, we were either tossed aside or replaced."

"Sakura…" Shinji had no idea she was so nihilistic.

Sakura gently grabbed Shinji by his shoulders and helped him up into a sitting position. "That's why I don't hate you Nii-san, your just like me, tossed away by a family that expects or needs nothing from you. You know what it feels like to be thrown away, belittled, and discarded. I could never hate someone, who also knows exactly how that feels." Dusting off his coat, Sakura concluded with honesty, and words that made Shinji feel immense guilt yet at the same time relief as unspoken words were finally out in the open. "I can't help but wonder what brought this on though. Not that I don't appreciate the sentiment."

Shinji picked up and looked over the menu the waitress had left. "It can wait till after we eat. I've said the most important part."

Sakura smiled. There was nothing more needed said. All the painful stuff was out in the open and to her surprise she was no longer tense.

Shinji may be a nicer person, but he still had decadent tastes. He ordered the most expensive thing on the menu, Kobe beef steak while Sakura sufficed on simpler if no less delicious fair in the rump steak. After their meals were done, washed down with soft drinks the two got back to the topic Sakura broached earlier.

Shinji sighed. "I don't suppose I could interest you in dessert?"

"Nii-san, stop stalling." Sakura gave him a slight glare with a mild pout, her heart racing as she actually expressed something other than blank obedience plus it worked on sempai. She figured it might work on this new Shinji.

Holding up his hands in surrender, Shinji begged off. "Fine, fine, just quit doing… that. Geez, I'm surprised you haven't gotten Emiya into bed with you yet with a pout like that…" He gave her a suspicious look. "You haven't have you?"

Sakura suspected this was the overprotective big brother vibes her classmates had spoken of once. It oddly comforted her but it also...

"Nii-san!" Sakura's crimson blush was all the answer Shinji needed. "Of course sempai hasn't…" She blushed again then a tiny tick appeared on her forehead when she remembered who had had lunch with him today. '_Some ho's are gonna die!'_

She blushed again. Where had that come from?

"Good! That means Emiya is still clueless and I don't need to castrate him."

Sakura gave Shinji a pointed look. She blushed but this time stared quite fiercely at her brother. If it was to protect the sanctity of her future children with sempai or her brother's threat her feelings were quite mixed.

"I believe we were talking about you Nii-san?"

Shinji rubbed the back of his neck. "Right. Well, as you know Zouken all but sold me to the Clocktower because my circuits were so thin they couldn't be detected at first right? They were all stunted like I hadn't tried to use them until they had really degraded? It's super rare for that to occur in a magus family even in one like ours where circuits had begun to vanish from our lineage."

Sakura nodded. She knew Zouken had done as much but never learned why. His biggest dream had been to be a magus and to find out it was because your wiring was faulty had to be heartbreaking.

Shinji's face took on a twisted hate filled look like he used to have before he left. "Well this guy… I really don't want to use his name it's like gargling vinegar found a way to strengthen my magic circuits like pull them further apart to let prana flow properly."

Sakura covered her mouth. She hardly dared believe it. No wonder Zouken sold him to the highest bidder and Shinji meekly accepted it. The old bastard… sorry _grandfather _had something to gain from it. It was a miracle.

"Really? You have what you always wanted?" Despite herself, she was extremely happy for him.

Shinji held up his left hand and closed his eyes. He imagined a butterfly forcing its way out of a cocoon, his mental trigger. Seconds later, his left hand twisted and contorted until it was a a bloody curved and serrated twelve-inch knife made of jagged bone and twisted, torn flesh. Sakura looked at how easily Shinji weaponized his own flesh and bone.

"Does it hurt when you do that Nii-san?"

"Every single time," he affirmed, boldly hiding his pain behind a raised, pitched voice before warping his hand back to normal, this time the pain was more apparent. His power brought him great pain "With no small amount of money and magecraft, my Origin, that of Flesh, was discovered. Through it, I found I specialize is biological based magecraft. Familiar creation, bodily alteration, creation of magical plagues and the like."

"That must've been so painful for you." Sakura was the embodiment of empathy, watching the guy wipe his hand clean of blood.

"Nothing compared to the Worm Pit I'm sure." Shinji said, downplaying his own experiences. "Anyway, this Lord made it quite clear that by helping me, he owned me. That I was his dog. That he didn't just own me, but all of the Matou Clan. He's a real piece of work this guy." It was clear there was no love lost between the Master and his dog. Shinji sighed. "Which leads us to our current discussion. Has the old worm made you summon a Servant yet?"

Sakura's eyes widened in shock. "You know about the Grail War starting early?"

Shinji gave a mirthless laugh. "Know about it?" He showed his sister the back of his right hand which held a single command seal, the other two already smeared out from use. "I'm already a participant."

"I… Grandfather was going to have me summon my Servant tonight," Sakura admitted.

Shinji nodded stroking his nonexistent beard in thought. "Good, good. This could still work then." He told his sister. "Sakura, do you think Emiya would let you stay at his place for awhile?"

Sakura blinked. "Stay with sempai?" Nothing would give her greater euphoria, joy, happiness, jubilation… She started to smile at the vision of her and sempai playing house together, the two partaking in young honeymooning couple things. '_Welcome home Shirou, do you want dinner, a bath or…'_ The rest became too X-rated for her maidenly heart at least in front of her brother… In private perhaps later with one of sempai's shirts… Okay, _too much_ again. "Possibly, why?"

"I don't want you directly involved with the people I know. They're magi, _real _magi Sakura. They're extremely dangerous and I don't want you anywhere near them. The only way I can keep you away from them, is if you stay with Emiya till the Grail War is over."

Sakura cocked her head to the side. "What does sempai have to do with the Grail War Nii-san? What aren't you telling me?"

Sighing Shinji admitted. "The people I'm working with, well they know a lot about Emiya's old man. He was a freelance magus Sakura. From all I've read up on, a damn good one too. The Magus Killer they called him. They want his son, adopted or not, watched."

"You want me to spy on sempai for you?" Sakura asked incredulously.

"It's either that or become a frontline fighter for our side. At least this way you won't get hurt. I'm just doing what I can to keep you safe."

"Our side?" Sakura was confused. "What do you mean by that?"

Shinji blinked. "You mean the old worm hasn't told you?" Shinji pressed a hand to his forehead. "Must be going senile in his old age." The newly minted magus explained in layman's terms. "For reasons none of us really know, instead of the usual seven Masters, we've got three times that number running around in this war."

Sakura's mouth fell open. "Twenty-one Masters. All here in Fuyuki? Are you sure?"

Shinji rubbed the back of his head. "Well the Einzbern sent a missive to the Mage's Association saying the Grail was acting up sooner than usual, possibly due to possessing massive amounts of mana from not having chosen a winner for so long or from how the last war ended. Before we knew it, seven people had been chosen from within the Association itself, but the Tohsaka, Matou, and Einzbern are always guaranteed a seat at the table… then reports came in of even more people having command seals and we knew something was up. So far, fifteen people have been confirmed to have been granted Command Seals by the Greater Grail."

"One massive grail War here in Fuyuki… will Fuyuki even survive?" Sakura was genuinely fearful of the result.

"To be honest I don't…" Shinji was cut off by a shrill whistling coming from his coat pocket. "The masters are calling for their dog. Excuse me for a second." Shinji stepped out into the hall before he answered his phone. "Yeah, what is it?"

The voice that came through on the other end was cold, sinister, and tired. "Is that anyway for a dog to greet his masters? One would think a dog would know better than to bite at the hand that feeds it."

"Even a dog will one day turn and kill its abuser if pushed far enough. Now, what do you want?" Shinji snapped back.

The man on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment. "Lord Leonardo demands your presence; the council is meeting."

Shinji sighed. "Can it wait? I've just seen my sister again for the first time in more than two years. You of all people should know how important family is, Julius."

There was a pause, a meaningful one.

"We'll be waiting for you, but you'd best bring a peace offering."

There was a click, and the line went dead. "Nice talking to you too asshole," Shinji said before returning the phone to his pocket and heading back into the room. "Looks like we're going to have to cut this party short. The dog can hear the master whistling for him."

"I see." Much to Sakura's surprise she found herself disappointed, she was actually enjoying spending time with Shinji as weird as that statement still was like the time sempai tried to get her to call him by his first name… not that she managed that. "Please be safe Nii-san."

"We're not going to part ways just yet. I need take you back home… and have a word with the old worm."

"Nii-san," Sakura said warningly. "Just because you have magecraft now doesn't mean you can challenge grandfather. He's old, older than both of us put together five times over."

Shinji just smirked at her. He had something up his sleeve. "Sakura, Sakura, relax. Have you forgotten what I specialize in?"

* * *

Sakura had to admit, it was exhilarating riding on the back of a motorcycle. They sped through traffic, the roar of the engine, like a mythical beast of legend, heralded their coming and made note of their passing. Sakura still thought Shinji was overreaching, challenging grandfather, who had been head of the Matou house for the past five centuries, however… he exuded this unshakable confidence that made her think that maybe… just maybe… her nightmare was nearing its end.

As they pulled up to the decrepit mausoleum that was the Matou Mansion, Shinji flipped down the kickstand to his bike and approached the wrought iron gate.

"Wait here Sakura."

Even from here, Sakura could hear the buzzing of the Crest Worms in the air, like cicadas, something that should be impossible in the cold of February. As Shinji approached the gate, he gave a mighty front kick, denting the mental and causing the locked gates to swing wide open, allowing him to pass.

"Nii-san, please be careful!" Sakura said, calling after his back.

"I'll be fine, don't worry," Shinji assured her as he walked into the gloom of the Matou estate. The chittering of the crest worms grew louder as Shinji approached the front door of the Matou Mansion. '_Yeah, that's right you old bastard, be afraid.' _Just as he had to with gate minutes prior, Shinji kicked the front door open this time, rendering it to naught but splinters. The place still smelt of rot and decay, a foulness Shinji always hated. '_Time to man up and make things right Matou.'_ With these thoughts in his head Shinji made his way into his old home.

"My, my, look who it is. The discarded failure of the Matou house has returned." The aged croak like voice of Zouken Matou rang out through the halls of this wretched ruin, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Had this been Shinji from a few years ago, he likely would've trembled at the mere sound of Zouken's voice. Now, he knew even greater monsters than him existed in this world, and Zouken was just a worm, hiding in the dirt doing what it could not to get squished by a bigger predator. "We need to talk old man, so get out here!"

"You have gotten even more arrogant in your time away I see." The croak came from behind him.

Shinji expected that. "_**Uca- Perplexa."**_ He spun on his heel while at the same time converting his entire right arm into a biological glaive of magically enhanced bone, his bloody thumb forming a single claw, making his arm look like a pincer belonging to a fiddler crab. With his new appendage Shinji swung his now weaponized limb and sliced the old man clean in two.

Zouken looked surprised for just a moment, before he laughed, his keening sounding like wet rocks being ground together. "I see, the Harwey's have granted you magecraft. I wonder how much that cost them? Too much time and effort was wasted on someone like you I'm sure."

Shinji gave a derisive laugh. "Me? I'm just an attack dog, and I've been told to kill the worm in front of me."

Zouken was no longer amused, scowl on his wretched face. "I see. So, the Harwey's see me as an obstacle and they sent you of all people to eliminate me? Foolish."

Zouken's body broke down into hundreds of crest worms, each one took flight, their exoskeletons bursting open to revel pairs of wings and three-inch-long blades that protruded from their hungry voracious mouths. They were like a cloud of locusts, magically enhanced locusts.

Shinji smirked. He wasn't worried. The insectoid familiars swarmed him, hungry and ready to feed.

"_**Dynastinae- Kabutomushi." **_The Crest Worms bounced off of Shinji's armor. He was now covered in a glossy black exoskeleton with the helm in the motif of a Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle. Swinging his glaive-like arm, Shinji smashed through the Crest Worms like they were nothing and made his way towards the basement. Seeing he needed some force to remove the magically reinforced door, Shinji was forced to use another spell in his repertoire. "_**Architeuthis." **_Both of his arms split apart at the fingers becoming long muscular tentacles exactly like one would find on a giant squid. Digging his new appendages into the wall, Shinji tore the entire wall out, tossing it, and the door it was attached to aside before heading deep underground into the catacombs beneath the Matou house. Periodically, he would encounter more insects as he made his descent deeper into the depths of the earth. Squashing them with his tentacles was no problem, they hardly waylaid him at all. '_Zouken, he's stalling, but why?'_

Shinji soon found himself standing above the worm pit proper. He soon realized why the old worm had stalled. Usually the pit had a dozen stone steps that led down to a small stone island which itself led to the vast chittering ocean of insects. Now though, the worms covered everything up to the sixth step. Shinji figured Zouken must've called in every Crest Worm he had tucked away in his various hidey-holes.

"Perfect." Knowing now was the perfect chance to rid the world and Sakura of this miserable worm forever, Shinji let himself freefall into the waiting hoard, a smile on his face. Zouken had overlooked several factors in his hubris, and that would be his downfall.

Firstly, he failed to realize that Shinji's magecraft was all biological in nature. He, in his arrogance thought the boy knew a few trifling tricks. Secondly, he assumed the Harwey's sent Shinji to kill him as a form of final initiation or test to prove his worth. When the truth of the matter was, Shinji's magecraft made him a counter to Zouken's. The last thing Zouken failed to realize was that though Shinji was incapable of enacting it, Shinji could still read up on how the Matou magecraft worked.

To bind onto one's self. That was the essence of the Matou's centuries of magical study. Shinji may study a different branch of magecraft, but his methodology was still the same. His abilities to alter his bodily structure came from the very foundation of binding what was he was using unto himself. That is what he did now. Hundreds if not hundreds of thousands of Crest Worms were bound onto Shinji, becoming apart of his own biomass, protoplasmic sludge to utilize as he saw fit. Once they realized what was happening, they tried to flee, likely under Zouken's direction, but the ooze of protoplasm swallowed them all like a tidal wave which only added to the wall of slime. The gelatinous glacier moved at a steady clip, consuming all it could, any bug that felt its touch was converted and added to the mass and speed at which the protoplasm spread.

Finally, it reached the edge of the worm pit and Shinji slowly pulled the expended biomass back into himself. The black soil of neo-genesis slowly crept back into his being and he felt… fuller than before.

"Is it done, my Master?" a feminine voice asked from behind him as he finished up his task.

"Yeah it is. What are you doing here Archer? I thought I asked you to stay with Sakura?" Shinji glanced at the woman who had been his companion for the past two years.

She had long tawny-brown hair that lightened to almost white at the tips, her mane held no silkiness but was rough like the pelt of a beast. Two catlike ears perked up out of that mess of hair, and sharp green eyes that glittered keenly with the intelligence of both a beast and a woman regarded her master calmly. She was a huntress clad in a dress of verdant green and trimmed in black leathers covered her chest arms, and legs up to her thigh in minor protection. Held casually off to the side in her left hand was a black and gold trimmed bow that thrummed with the power of a lunar goddess. Swaying from side to side behind her was a lioness's tail. This woman, who was a beautiful beast in human form, was the other half of the reason Shinji was trying so hard to be a good big brother.

She would kill him if he were anything less than that.

"Archer," Shinji sighed. "Why are you here?"

The Servant of the Bow cocked her head to the side quizzically. "Is it not my job to see to your safety Master?"

Shinji gave his cheeky servant a pointed look. "I asked you to stay outside with Sakura remember?" Shinji had long since learned he couldn't order the huntress of Artemis to do squat.

"She was beginning to fret over your safety and was on the verge of coming in to look for you, so I decided to come and put an end to things, if you hadn't already finished up by now. I know ending this wretch was cathartic for you Master, but do take your sister's feelings into account."

It was a light rebuke, but Shinji accepted it all the same. "Yeah, yeah, I'd best get back to her before she faints from worry in other words." As Shinji made his way out of the depths of hell, Shinji made casual conversation with his Servant, who was now in astral form. "So, how do you think it's going so far Archer?"

"All I can say for sure is that it's a start Master, and everything must start somewhere."

Shinji nodded. "Fair enough. That's practically a compliment coming from you. I'll take it."

"Silence, stupid male." Archer shot back, but there was no heat in her tone, so Shinji could tell she was joking with him in her own way.

The moment he ascended the stairs, he was almost sent tumbling back down them at the force with which Sakura barreled into him. "Nii-san! Are you alright?!" Sakura immediately started looking him over for wounds.

"Sakura," Shinji said softly, touched but a little annoyed that she was patting everything down. "_Sakura_, I'm fine. Seriously, look." Shinji held out his arms and spun in a slow circle, showing not even his clothes were torn. There was barely any blood on his sleeves.

Sakura sighed in relief. "Thank goodness." She then slapped Shinji repeatedly in the arm. "Don't worry me like that Nii-san!" Sakura accentuated every word with another slap to his arm, letting her displeasure be known.

"Sorry, I'm sorry… alright now, that's enough! I'm sore enough as it is." Shinji raised his voice an octave, causing Sakura to stop hitting his arm.

"Sorry Nii-san, I just thought… that you died and left me all alone, like Uncle Kariya." Sakura looked down when she said this.

"Hey now," Shinji said soothingly, guiding his sister into the dining room and sat her down on a dusty Russian made chair, taking a knee. "I'm not going anywhere, you'll be just fine. Ok?" When she didn't answer and continued looking at the floor, Shinji gave her a little shake, causing her to look at him as he smiled at her. "Ok?"

Sakura managed a smile. "Ok."

Shinji stood. "Good, because what comes next isn't going to be pleasant."

Sakura looking at her changed older brother confused. "Nii-san?"

Hands on his hips, Shinji closed his eyes. He didn't want to see the look on her face when he told her what came next. "In order to make sure Zouken is gone for good Sakura, I need to remove all the Crest Worms he left in you. This is… well I won't sugar coat it, it's going to hurt."

Silence, thick like a winter blanket hung in the air between the two for a moment. Finally, Sakura spoke. "I see. Yet by doing this grandfather will be gone for good?"

"Yeah." Shinji had opened his eyes but refused to look at his sister.

"Good, let's do it." Shinji's gaze snapped to his sister. She looked firm and resolute, he would almost say eager to get Zouken's vile creations out of her.

Shinji rubbed his hands together eager to finally have the old fossil out of both of their lives himself. "Ok, Sakura, just tilt your head back and open your mouth."

"Master, if I may," The two were interrupted by the sudden appearance of Archer from astral form. "Would it not be prudent for your sister to summon her own Servant first? Lest this procedure leave her drained and defenseless?"

Shinji snapped his fingers then pointed knowingly at his Servant. "Good idea, I didn't think of that."

Sakura was staring at the Servant in awe. "Nii-san, who is…?"

Smiling and jabbing a thumb in her direction, Shinji replied. "Oh her? She my Servant. I'll give you three guesses as to her class."

Archer give her Master a light swat across the head, sending his ears ringing. "Introduce us properly Master."

Giving his head a shake and ears a tap to stop the ringing, Shinji complied. "Fine, fine. Sakura this is my Servant, Archer. Archer this is my little sister Sakura Matou."

"Archer of Red, nice to meet you." Archer corrected with a polite bow.

"You as well," Sakura stated and returned the bow before questioning her brother. "Archer of Red?"

Shinji almost slapped himself in the forehead. "Ah, I'd failed to mention, the factions are split into three colors. Red, Blue, and Yellow. Red and Blue have already established themselves before coming to Fuyuki."

"So only the Yellow Faction is left huh?" Sakura asked herself. It had dawned on her that if she joined this war, she would be relying on sempai, while also betraying his trust. She didn't feel too good about that but what could she do?

"Correct," Archer affirmed.

Sakura looked to her big brother. "We have no summoning circle or catalyst Nii-san. I can't summon a Servant without those."

"Well, I can manage a summoning circle easily enough." Shinji squeezed his right hand together, causing black goo to flow from between his fingers. It wasn't blood, Sakura knew that much. It was too dark, and much too thick and syrupy to be blood. It created a small puddle on the floor before it spread out like spilt ink across a page, expanding in intricate curves and lines until a perfect summoning circle stood ready on the floor for use.

Sakura stared at the magic circle for a moment before turning to her adoptive brother. "Your magecraft is quite versatile Nii-san, but we still don't have a catalyst." Sakura gave a light shrug. "Though I suppose I can just depend on the Greater Grail to summon the most compatible Servant for me."

Shinji shook his head. "No, no, no! Someone you get along with isn't nearly as good as someone you know is strong." Shinji looked around hoping to find something to be used as a catalyst. His eyes landed on his own Servant, his eyes lit up.

"Master why are you looking at me like that?" Archer asked hesitantly.

"Archer, we could use _**you **_as a catalyst!"

"What?" Archer's tone was flat. "What makes you think that's a good idea, or that I would go along with it?"

"Think about it," Shinji began pitching his idea. "You were part of the Argonauti, the greatest Heroes in Greece. If we use you as a catalyst, the chances are high Sakura gets one of the greatest heroes ever. Plus I can personally boast for the power and might of Grecian heroes."

"Flattery will get you nowhere with me master." Archer crossed her arms but did seem to be considering the idea regardless. "It is true that I was a part of the Argonauti, but Sakura-san could just as easily end up with Jason or Medea. Jason is absolutely useless, and while Medea was a sweet and innocent girl while I knew her, she ended up as…" Atalante stopped speaking not wanting to continue.

Even Shinji became solemn, "True, but without something to use as a catalyst, we'd just be rolling the dice. At least if we did this, the chances of Sakura getting a decent Servant are high." Shinji smirked at his Archer, "Besides, I thought you weren't the type to abandon women and children, oh Hunter of Artemis?"

Archer's cheeks turned red. "That's… you are extorting my oath to the Goddess for your own gains Master!"

Her tone was accusatory, and Shinji didn't even bother to deny it. "You have your priorities, and I have mine. Sakura's safety is my priority. Now," He gave his Servant a look. "Are going to help or not?"

Archer huffed and crossed her arms before stepping into the magic circle. "Be thankful I'm not making you use your last Command Spell for that stunt master."

"I'll make it up to you I promise."

"You _will_ buy me dinner, and it will not be a bento box or bread. You're going to get me something nice this time." Archer threatened him, her green eyes glinting with the promise of pain should he try and trick her... again.

'_Shit, she's onto me!'_ Shinji thought before raising his hands in defeat. "Alright, alright, you win. I'll take you someplace nice."

Archer nodded, accepting his terms. "I'll hold you to that. Now, let's proceed."

Sakura looked back and forth between the master and Servant duo. '_Nii-san and Archer-chan would make a cute couple and keep another big boobed woman away from sempai.'_

"Sakura, you still with us?" Shinji snapped his fingers in front of her a couple of times, snapping her out of her daze.

Sakura gave herself a shake. Sempai tended to do that a lot to her focus. Ah, sempai… _Sempai _was a lovely distraction. "Yes Nii-san?"

Shinji huffed. "Don't space out on us yet. Do the worm bother to let you know the summoning ritual for Servants?"

Sakura gave a curt affirmation. "Yes Grandfa… Zouken had me studying it all week, I can pronounce it by heart." Sakura had no desire to refer to that _thing_ in any familial sense any longer. She wanted to buy some high heels and stomp on every worm stuffed inside her and then set them on fire… Wow, she was being passive aggressive today.

Shinji bowed and motioned towards the summoning circle. "Then the floor is all yours."

Sakura stepped forward and took a breath. '_I do this, and I'll be free of Zouken… forever.'_ She began to incant.

"_**Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.**_

_**The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.**_

_**Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill).**_

_**Repeat every five times.**_

_**Simply, shatter once filled.**_

_**I announce.**_

_**Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword.**_

_**In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.**_

_**Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.**_

_**You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O' keeper of the balance!"**_

An oppressive amount of magical energy built up as Sakura began the incantation, reaching a fever pitch by the time she spoke the final line. Winds whipped from the circle, and a magical light show was on display featuring every hue of the rainbow, until finally with a last great burst of effort, it was done.

When the smoke cleared a Servant was standing in the summoning circle next to Atalante. She was older than both of the Matou siblings but not by much, eighteen to twenty at most and stood only a couple of inches taller than Sakura herself at 159cm/5'3, with lively peach colored skin and silken black hair in an elaborate braid. She was clad in both soft white silks and hard brown leathers, fit for one who was both a warrior and a rider she had what looked to be a crimson sash or flag draped across her right shoulder. She opened her eyes, revealing them to be a warm earthy brown. The servant looked right at Sakura and asked in an energetic if regal tone.

"I, Servant Rider have come at your summons. I ask of you, are you my Master?"

Slowly, dumbly, Sakura nodded. "Yes, yes I am." She smiled and bowed as was customary in Japan. "Nice to meet you Rider-san. Please take good care of me."

Instantly knowing the customs of the area and modern times due to the Greater Grail, Rider bowed though slightly less deeply herself due to her station.

"I shall be in your care from now on as well." Rider then took note of Shinji. "Master, are you aware there is another Master present?"

"Yes, he is my Nii-san. we actually used his Servant as a catalyst to summon you," Sakura replied contritely.

Rider turned and came face to face with Archer. The two Grecians eyed each other up as if probing for weakness. Atalante spoke first. "You are no member of the Argonauts."

"Argonauts?" Rider's rich brown eyes lit up with understanding. "Then you must be Atalante. The only known female besides Medea. You both would've made fine Amazons. That also explains my summoning, due to your connection to Herakles."

Atalante immediately knew who Rider was. "And you are Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons."

"Yes, that is I." Rider didn't try to deny it. "This war is strange indeed. I am getting information from the Greater Grail about multiple teams forming? Are we on the same team as them Master? This Yellow Team?"

"Sort of Rider. It's complicated," Sakura complained.

Rider just nodded. "War often is. Still explain as best you can."

Sakura looked to Shinji pleadingly. "Nii-san!"

Rider looked to Shinji arms crossed tapping one finger against her arm impatiently. Rubbing the back of his head, Shinji began. "Well you see Rider, it's like this…"

Once Shinji explained his plan and reasons for it, Hippolyta closed her eyes and hummed in contemplation, the few moments she spent thinking were some of the longest in Shinji's life. This plan hinged on her cooperation. He supposed Sakura could order her with a Command Spell but there are so many ways they can be worked around by cunning Servants.

Rider opened her eyes, having come to a decision. "I do not like having to deceive my allies. Deception is what killed me in life as I'm sure you know." Shinji flinched he did know that. The queen of the Amazons continued in a lighter tone. "However, I can understand and empathize with your plight Shinji Matou. I shall go along with this deception of yours…" The Matou's brightened considerably but before they could voice their thanks, she warned them, "But only so far as not being directly asked about it. Once that happens, I will not lie. Understood?"

Sakura spoke for the two of them. "Yes, thank you Rider. I don't like this either, but Nii-san is just doing what he thinks is best."

Rider spared Shinji a ghost of a smile. "I know, that's why I'm even willing to go along with this plan in the first place. His methods, while questionable, come from a place of concern for your safety. So, I am willing to go along with them for however long it may last."

"Thanks Rider, that's… honestly better than I could've hoped for, given the circumstances." Shinji admitted.

Hippolyta nodded once. Shinji clapped his hands together. He was really pressing his luck with Leo he knew, so he had to get on with this, and hoped that news of Zouken's removal from the board would spare him his wrath. "So now that you're here we can do what we originally intended."

Hippolyta quirked an eyebrow. "Which is?"

"Permanently getting rid of a decrepit old worm. This is going to be painful for Sakura and she's likely going to be weak afterwards which is why we thought it was best to summon you before we did it. You know in case an enemy master decided to try and do something while she's out of it."

"That was a smart decision."

Atalante coughed and gave her master a pointed glare. "Archer came up with it not me."

Sakura had sat down and leaned her head back. Shinji raised a hand over her head. "You ready?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes Nii-san."

Shinji squeezed his fist together, allowing some of the black ichor produced by his magecraft to drip into his adopted sister's mouth and down her throat. "For what it's worth I'm sorry… and I promise, this will be the last time I hurt you Sakura."

That was the last thing Sakura Matou heard before her body started to feel unnaturally warm. Her heartbeat quickened, she could hear it pounding in her ears, then it was like a million nails fresh from a forge had been rammed into her body all at once. Searing piercing pain shot through every pore of her body. She wanted to cry, to scream out, but she forgot how to do even that, so all consuming was the agony she was feeling at the moment. Her whole world consisted of heat, pain, and the thundering sound of her own heartbeat in her ears. Then, dozens of hundreds of images flashed through her mind. The first of a beautiful woman with long white hair, ruby red eyes, she had a quiet, kind demeanor.

'_Justeaze.'_ Something told her. Together she and another were going to create a grand device. One that would lead to the betterment of humanity but poor Justeaze for whom she cared about so much, sacrificed herself to become the core of the project. Wanting to live to see the projects completion, Sakura became a part of her very familiars, her flesh became theirs, her will, their own. So, she waited for five hundred years, slowly, the ideal of seeing the project complete gave way to madness, the pain of living so long, something no human mind or soul was meant to endure, had caused her soul to slowly decay and to rot from within. Over time, she became obsessed with the project, not to see it completed, but to attain it for herself so that her suffering could end, an immortal painless body, that is what she desired… an end to the pain! Why did she put herself through this again? The project! Ah yes! The only thing that mattered was attaining the fruits of the project… nothing else… nothing else…

Sakura heaved three times before the black ichor she swallowed came back up the same way it went down. She'd never felt so tired, so physically, mentally and emotionally drained before, and considering her life before now, that was saying something.

Hippolyta lifted her master up bridal style. "Will Master be alright?"

"Yes, she'll have a fever for a little bit, but should be fine otherwise. If you take her to her room upstairs, she should be fine by morning if not the day after." Shinji looked at his sister whose hair was plastered to her brow with sweat she looked pale and frail right now, but he knew she would pull through. She was stronger than anyone realized. "I have to go, take care of my little sister Rider of Yellow… because nothing will save you if you don't."

Hippolyta chose not to acknowledge the hollow threat. "She is safe with me Matou-san. Never fear."

Shinji made his way to the door. "Let's go Archer, it's time to pay the piper."

* * *

Shinji had Archer break into an expensive tea shop and steal a ludicrously priced jar of Gyokuro tea. He also managed to find a Taiyaki vendor and bought as much as he could afford with the funds he had left. He hoped his peace offerings along with the news that Zouken was dead and they had a spy in an enemy camp would lessen Leo's ire at him.

He doubted it though.

Sensing his mounting trepidation, Archer reassured him through their bond. '_Don't worry Master, I'm right here with you. I'll stop him from going too far. Besides, we have allies amongst the others.'_

Shinji scoffed as he pulled his bike in front of a lavish western mansion having long since past the bounded fields that surrounded the estate. They knew he was here. '_I have their pity Archer.'_

'_Not true. I see respect and concern in their eyes where you see pity. You aren't looking hard enough. Besides, your sensei isn't one for pity.' _Archer reminded him.

Shinji let out a scoff as he made his way through the front door. "You've got me there."

The moment Shinji stepped through the door, his arms laden with bags, the air was crushed from his lungs and his face was smothered. It was no magecraft that caused this, but an overly concerned and affectionate Servant who was trying to squeeze the life out of Shinji while his head was smashed between her massive bust.

"There you are, you naughty child! What were you thinking, staying out late and worrying your dear mother?!" The Servant, a traditional Japanese beauty with long dark hair, skin like alabaster, and icy blue eyes that glinted with barely concealed madness in their depths.

"Ohoho, Berserker, let Shinji-san go. I'm sure he's sorry for being out late, but he can't apologize if he can't breathe."

Shinji collapsed on to his knees gasping for breath. He looked to his savior. An elegant European woman with her blonde hair curled into two drills, blue was her color, for she wore an elegant azure dress trimmed in white and brown leather boots. Her eye color matched her dress and she looked at him in equal parts amusement and concern. "Are you alright Shinji? Berserker didn't break a rib, did she?"

Gaining his wits back after his near smothering, Shinji smiled. "Nah I'm fine… still if I had just died, what a way to go, huh?"

Luviagelita Edelfelt rolled her eyes thinking. '_Men.'_ She offered him a hand up, which he accepted commenting. "You must be fine if you can crack jokes. Oh, what are these?"

Shinji picked his bags up off the floor. "Peace offering. I managed to score some high-class tea and found a Taiyaki vendor that was still open. I bought him out. Think doughnuts." He added the last part upon seeing Luvia's clueless expression. It was cute but made explaining common everyday items rather tedious. It was lucky that she was hot.

Hearing that description, she brightened. "Oh, it sounds interesting."

Berserker held out her hands for the treats. "Give them to mommy, she'll prepare everything properly for her children."

Shinji handed over the bags, as he felt his neck begin to heat up. "Here Berserker, knock yourself out. We got Gyokuro tea."

"Is there any other kind?" Berserker asked before patting his head gently. "Shinji-kun is such a good son. He makes mommy so proud. I'll prepare these right away, you children do try and get along in the meantime."

Once Berserker left the two magi made their way through the Edelfelt Mansion, the heat growing and a tightness forming around his throat in a band around Shinji's neck with every moment that passed. '_Hmmm I wonder who is the one tugging the leash this time? Probably Julius. He likely thinks I was out with Sakura this entire time, which isn't entirely untrue.'_

"Shinji?" Luvia asked concerned.

"It seemed the dog is going to be punished for being gone too long," Shinji joked, his voice rough as they approached a set of solid wood double doors.

The Edelfelt heiress felt for him, truly she did, but Shinji had been forced to sign a Geas scroll. The Harwey's owned Shinji down to his very soul. She couldn't do much for him, but she would do what she could. Pushing the doors open, the two came upon a massive war room. Taking centre stage was a large circular table laden with maps of Fuyuki and its infrastructure, blueprints of buildings lay strewn across the table and plans were already being made.

Shinji couldn't pay attention to none of that though, for it now felt as if a cherry red hot piece of iron was being tightened across his throat like a torch. Runes that blazed like a brand etched themselves across the flesh of his neck and burned like hellfire, constricting his windpipe, like a choke collar for a dog. Shinji hit his knees gasping for air, all the while glaring at the man doing this to him.

He was in his late twenties, built like a brick shithouse, had long dark scraggly hair, a pallid complexion, and sunken blue eyes that were ringed with black denoting a certain lack of sleep. He wore a thick dark purple coat that just added to his cold demeanor. He currently had a small magic circle in front of his hand and had a finger pressed to it, staring at Shinji with his unfeeling eyes.

This man was Julius B. Harwey. The boss or bastard if you would.

Sitting next to him impassively was a young boy of about fifteen. Swathed in fierce if regal red suit, his green eyes stared almost impassively as Shinji suffered. His chin length blond hair was perfectly in place as always. He gave off the air of a regal prince or young king.

He was the younger brother of Julius, Leonardo B. Harwey. The little boss or little bastard poof cunt.

Leo turned to look at his brother. "Julius, one does not discipline a hunting dog for getting lost on a familiar trail. After all, it is not uncommon for them to take in any new sights and scents that may have accumulated while they were away. Our loyal hunting hound was likely just getting the lay of the land after being away for so long."

God, that prick really loved the sound of his own voice. Shinji was going to drink some tequila when someone killed the little bastard poof cunt.

Julius glanced at his younger brother but refused to relent. "Regardless, a dog should come when called Leo, they should be subservient to their betters."

"Enough of this!" Luviagelita demanded. "You forget, you are guests in my estate!" For emphasis she charged and fired a Finn Shot from her finger towards Julius, if only to make him relent.

In response, a man clad in a molted green cloak appeared and took the hit, the Finnish curse dissipating the moment it stuck his cloak. "Lady Edelfelt, please don't attack my Master again. I would hate to have to harm an ally much less a woman. Especially one that is providing us shelter for the duration of this war."

Julius glared at his Servant. "I did not require your protection Assassin." Julius would've said more, but a katana was suddenly pressed up against his jugular. Out of the corner of his eye, Julius Harwey could see Berserker had appeared, balancing two platters on one arm, with her katana in the other.

With a look of exasperated disappoint on her face, Berserker of Red spoke. "My, my, it seems I cannot let you children out of my sight for one second. I turn my back for one moment, and you start roughhousing."

Leo showed no concern for his brother's current predicament. Instead, he eyed the platters Berserker was expertly balancing on her arm like a veteran waitress. "What have you got there, Berserker?"

Berserker turned to him and smiled before setting the trays down. One was filled with steaming teapots and cups of tea, while the other was piled high with a small mountain of Taiyaki. "Shinji-kun was such a thoughtful boy. He stopped on the way home and got a treat for everyone. Isn't he such a dear?"

Leonardo calmly regarded his brother, still paying no mind to the keen sword blade at his throat. "See brother? You thought Shinji was out doing nothing and here he was getting us some of the local fare."

"Even better, he has something to report but in his current state…" Luvia ventured for him as he writhed of the ground helplessly gasping for air.

Huffing out a plume of cigar smoke, a certain magus spoke up. "Would you stop harassing my student already? Enough is enough."

"Yes," said a girl with a cowl over her head. "Leave my kohai alone."

"Grey, let me handle this." The man replied with a sigh.

The girl with the cowl bowed deferring to her teacher. "Yes sensei."

Lord El Melloi-II formerly known as Waver Velvet and veteran of the Fourth Holy Grail War resisted the urge to grind his teeth and his Cuban cigar, to pulp. In the decade since the last war, his hair had grown longer, he had gotten taller and filled out, but he still preferred his suits, and he'd taken up the bad habit of smoking from the sheer stress of having to drag the Archibald house out of the ashes he'd inadvertently brought it to. He'd had a handful of apprentices over the years, and all had risen to the rank of Brand within the Clocktower. The two with him now were his most prominent and his two biggest 'problem children'.

Grey Igraine, a descendant of King Arthur on her mother's side, whose family tried to use her as a vessel to summon forth King Arthur from the Throne of Heroes. She looked so similar to the Saber from the Fourth Grail War that he forced her to wear a hood to cover her face, something she easily complied with as Grey disliked the look of her own face.

'_Not that it matters how she or I feel about her looks at this point,' _he thought, glancing at her Servant who did not look amused at the spectacle even as she held a brilliant bone white lance that shined with the light of Miracles.

Then there was Shinji. He was hired by the Harwey's to teach the boy basic magecraft, but Shinji soon showed incredible aptitude for biological manipulation based magecraft. To such an astounding degree he was soon surpassing masters in the field who'd been studying it for centuries within a year. It had to do with the boy's origin of 'Flesh' and his already rigorous study of the Matou magecraft. Those two things combined to create something special. Lord El-Melloi II was certain that if the Clocktower knew just how far Shinji had taken his craft and that his element was also 'Flesh' making him an Incarnation, he would have a Sealing Designation slapped on him in moments.

"That's enough Julius," Leo's voice was firm. "Shinji has something to tell us and he can't speak like that."

The heat and constricting pressure on Shinji's throat ceased immediately. He coughed and sputtered for a moment before shakily getting to his feet. Two pairs of hands wrapped under either arm and helped him to his feet. Shinji looked to either side to see both Luvia and Grey helping him up. Glancing back, he noted that Archer had nocked an arrow and was prepared to fire.

"Thanks sempai, Luvia. Archer, that's enough. He'd be a waste of an arrow anyway."

Atalante loosened the tension on her bowstring before lowering her weapon entirely. "If you say so master."

The two women, who were stronger than their slender physiques let on, helped Shinji into his seat which was situated between Grey and Lord El-Melloi II. Once he was seated Leonardo steepled his fingers and eyed him with interest. "So, my hunting hound, what have you been up to?"

* * *

Shirou lowered his bow. The big game fell to the forest floor, unmoving due to the arrow that was lodged in between its shoulder blades. Raiga knocked the tobacco out of his old-fashioned pipe. "Nice shot as always Emiya-kun."

"Thanks boss," Shirou told his employer respectfully as the two made their way forwards to the downed prey. It began to mist as they stood over the fallen prey that had just about made it to the tree line, having taken a zigzag path in hopes to throw off Shirou's aim. "Who was he?"

Raiga looked down at the corpse of the European man in the suit. "Someone who wanted to sell the usual filth we don't allow in this city."

Among the Yakuza in Fuyuki there was an agreement, an accord of sorts. There would be no selling of flesh, guns, or hard drugs in this city. Shirou didn't know what brought it about, but he knew his old man was involved somehow as his name had come up a couple of times by his sempai when he tried loosening their tongues with sake. The accord even held five years after the old man's death. Was it respect, fear, something else? Shirou didn't know for sure but for the last ten years all the Yakuza groups in Fuyuki had stuck to more minor things. Protection rackets, embezzling, theft, racketeering, illegal gambling dens, and the like.

However, every once in awhile someone got the 'bright idea' to try and use Fuyuki's harbor as a staging point to get their product, whatever it might be, into the wider Eastern market. People like that were dealt with like so. Going '_hunting with Raiga'_ was simply code that something, _someone_ needed to be taken care of to keep the peace.

Shirou liked the peace. He didn't want something horrific like that fire from ten years ago to happen again and ruin so many lives. So, he killed when he had to, to keep the peace. Even if he didn't necessarily like doing so, he knew that if such elements were allowed to get a foothold they would rapidly spread, much like cancer in the human body and much like cancer the easiest way to prevent was to cut it off at the pass, preventing it from spreading in the first place.

Raiga bent down and gripped the black shaft of the arrow protruding from the man's back. With strength belaying both his age and size, the wizened old man pulled the arrow out with a sick sucking sound. Wiping the bloodied broadhead off on the man's suit coat, Raiga offered it to his young protégé and grandson in all but blood.

"Here, wouldn't want to leave this behind Emiya-kun, and how many times do I have to tell you to call me Raiga-ojisan?"

Shirou smiled, he could never call his boss that. "Just one more time boss."

Raiga grinned, his impish features distorting even further. "Fine, be all prim and proper if you want to. Do you want a ride back? It's starting to mist."

Shirou shook his head as he made his way back to Raiga's classic Rolls Royce. There was a solid wood carrying case sitting on the hood. Shirou placed the bow and the arrow he'd fired into the allotted groves set in the box. He admired Kiritsugu's last gift to him for a moment.

It was a matte black yumi as slightly longer than he was tall, the entire piece was made out of some kind of synthetic material that consisted of ceramics and plastics like one would expect to find on the underside of a space shuttle, yet it still held the slender shape of a bamboo bow. The draw weight was so massive on it, that Shirou had to learn how to reinforce his arms just to draw the bow, a final test from the old man, he always assumed. Shirou gazed upon the bow for a moment more before he shut the wooden case and snapped the shining brass clasps shut. He turned to Raiga.

"Could you have someone drop my bow off at home boss? I'm going to take a walk. I need to clear my head."

Raiga motioned to one of his men with a nod. "It'll be taken care of Emiya, don't worry about it. Also, don't be getting sick! I won't hear the end of it from Taiga if you do."

Shirou called over his shoulder. "I don't get sick boss. I never have, as far as I can tell."

Shirou left the clearing then, and Raiga chuckled to himself. "No, of course you haven't." Raiga looked to his goons, then to the corpse. "One of you, clean up this mess."

* * *

Shirou had just crested the hill that led down to his street. He stood there in the dusk, the twinkling of the lights from various office buildings in the distance, his breath misting in the air. He heard the skip of footsteps approaching him from behind like those of a small child. Wondering what one could be doing out alone this late, he turned.

Shirou's breath caught. Exotic was the first word to cross Shirou's mind. For rapidly approaching him must've been a fairy or yokai of some kind for the young girl approaching him had an ethereal beauty. Long white hair, crimson eyes, wearing a deep purple coat, gloves and hat on her head. She looked so out of place in Japan where conformity was expected. The girl smiled at him in a devilish sort of way.

"You'd better summon it soon Onii-chan, or you'll die!"

Illya had wanted to see him for herself after only being shown pictures for a decade, to have something to focus her hatred on. Illyasviel von Einzbern wanted to meet the boy who replaced her. She never expected him to trek into her forest half an hour ago and kill a man with a bow in cold blood. This was unexpected. This _intrigued _her. Grandfather had told her Japanese people were savages who sliced their bellies open, so perhaps this had something to do with it, but from what she could pick up from her bounded fields, that man had done something bad and Onii-san seemed to answer to the ojiisan.

Illya left them alone, as far as she knew this had nothing to do with the War, or magecraft, so she had no reason to act. Still, now was as good a time as any to warn Oniichan to summon his Servant. She had done so, now it was time to go… that was, until she felt a hand reach out and clasp her shoulder.

Illya stopped. '_Is Onii-chan so confident in his mysteries that he wants to fight me right here and now? That's fine too I suppose, but I was hoping to draw this out a little bit.'_

Illya turned ready for a fight only to see Onii-chan standing on the balls of his feet, bent down to her level smiling warmly. "Ojou-chan what are you doing out here all by yourself? It's cold and the sun is going down. Do you have anyone you can call to come pick you up?"

"I… what?" Illya was caught completely off guard by this line of questioning.

Shirou continued on. "Your hair and eyes are so pretty, and your clothes are so nice. You must be staying someplace nice right? Maybe a hotel in Shinto?"

'_He likes the hair and eyes I got from mama.'_ Illya thought, blushing a bit. She had never got many compliments growing up. It was always study, avenge the Einzbern, achieve the Third. She didn't let herself get too carried away though. For all she knew, this could be a trick. This boy had been raised by Kiritsugu after all. Narrowing her eyes, Illya said flatly, "I'm not sure I should be telling you where I live Onii-chan."

Shirou rubbed the back of his head, "You've got a point Ojou-chan." Standing, he bowed politely. "I'm Shirou Emiya, and you are?"

Illya curtsied, years of Einzbern etiquette insisted she introduce herself properly. Plus, she wanted to see if her name induced any form of reaction from him. "Illyasviel von Einzbern. Nice to meet you Onii-chan."

Not one reaction. Not even a twitch of an eye from the amber eyed male. '_Did Kiritsugu tell him nothing of me and Mama?'_

"Well Illyasviel…" Shirou began only to be cut off by the snow fairy.

"Call me Illya, Oniichan."

Shirou didn't know why she kept calling him 'big brother' but he didn't mind it. "Illya then. Would you like to come to my house? You can make a phone call and have someone come and have your parents come pick you up."

Illya frowned. "Both my parents are gone Onii-chan."

Shirou bowed in apology. "I'm sorry."

The pixie shook her head. "Don't worry about it Onii-chan it happened a long time ago… but there is someone I could call. So, which way is your house?"

Shirou pointed down the hill. "Just down this way, follow me."

* * *

'_So, this is where Kiritsugu lived after the last Grail War.'_ Illya stood outside the Emiya Estate. She didn't sense any major bounded fields about the place. Just one minor one that acted like a glorified doorbell, to warn the owner if someone with ill intent had entered their property. No traps, cantrips, or curses lingered anywhere from what the homunculus could tell. '_This doesn't feel like the home of a magus at all! Something doesn't feel right…'_

"Is everything alright Illya-chan?" Shirou asked, for she stood there at the entrance staring at it intently.

The Lesser Grail turned to him and smiled. "Everything's fine Onii-chan. I'm just amazed at how different your home is from mine that's all."

"Ah, yes this is a Japanese style mansion and your probably more used to Western ones," Shirou commented as he made his way inside. "Come on, I'll give you a tour before you make your phone call."

Mimicking Shirou as he took his shoes off in the entrance hall and putting on slippers, Illya was surprised at how open this place felt. The oppressive air a magi's household held wasn't present here. This place was light and airy it felt welcoming yet lonely. Not oppressive and cold like the Einzbern Castle back in the Alps.

"This is the living room." He pointed to the television and low set table nearby. She followed him into a spotless kitchen. The bamboo wood counters practically gleamed, as did the stainless-steel appliances. "This is the kitchen. I spend a lot of time here, as I like to cook."

Illya had the sudden urge to try his food. Someone who kept his kitchen this clean wouldn't even think of poisoning the food. "Can you make me something Onii-chan?"

Shirou was never one to ignore a request from anyone, but this little lady should be getting home. "I would, but your guardians might not like me feeding you."

"_Please,_ Onii-chan?" Illya poured on the charm.

Shirou never stood a chance… poor bastard, poor, poor bastard, perpetuating the cycle of women dominating men everywhere. "_Alright_, but only after you call your guardians. I need to know what kind of time limit I have to work with. Deal?"

"Deal! Thanks, Onii-chan. Do you live here by yourself?"

Shirou nodded. "Yes, I do. My dad passed away when I was younger."

Illya decided to play dumb. "What was his name?"

"Kiritsugu, Kiritsugu Emiya."

"I knew a Kiritsugu Emiya once, a long time ago Onii-chan." Illya told him honestly.

Shirou was floored. '_Could it be the same person? The old man went on trips a lot. Was he visiting friends? Maybe she's the daughter of one of them.'_

Shirou decided to take her to the dojo next. If she knew Kiritsugu, she might want to pay her respects. He showed her to the long room, its floors were of polished wood, and at the far end sat a small shrine to the old man, his picture set above an ornate katana surrounded by some sticks of incense. Illya's eyes honed in on the picture in a matter of seconds. Slowly almost hesitantly, she approached, feeling a mixed bag of emotions.

Sadness, anger, love, hate. All were present within her as she approached the shrine, her gaze focused upon the picture. She dropped to her knees and did a respectful bow. "He doesn't look like he was taking care of himself."

"He was always pretty sick when I knew him," Shirou affirmed, not wanting to say much and allow the girl to pay her respects.

"That is so like Kiritsugu." Illya felt… well, not better years of hatred couldn't go away just like that, but coming here, to this shrine helped alleviate the pain somewhat. "Where is he buried? I would like to pay my respects properly while I'm here."

"Up on Ryuudou Temple on the mountain."

Illya gave a nod. "I see, thank you Onii-chan." Shirou wasn't sure if she was thanking him for the information, or something else entirely so he took it silently. He finished up the tour showing her he had some spare rooms before leading her to the phone. Illya stopped in the hallway and pointed to a building he'd neglected. "Oniichan, what is that building out there?"

Shirou looked to where she was pointing. "That? That's my shed. Nothing out there but old junk I tinker with Illya. It's got a bunch of old metal and stuff, it's no place for an Ojou-chan like you."

Illya stomped her foot petulantly. "I wanna see it Oniichan. It's not a proper tour unless I get to see everything."

Shirou quickly caved. Illya even seemed cute when angry. He didn't like how he wanted to both pet her and run away at the same time. "Alright, alright, but there's really not much to see in there."

Illya skipped happily across the yard, for she knew if Oniichan had a workshop anywhere on the property, it had to be in that shed. If he didn't have a workshop there, then it proved that Grandpapa had been lying to her. Illya didn't like liars and from everything she'd seen so far, Oniichan hardly seemed like he knew anything of magecraft at all, much less more than _her_.

Shirou opened the shed for his guest's perusal and Illya was disappointed to find nothing particularly special inside. There was a green tarp that had pieces of junk on it, a metal pipe, an engine of some kind, a rock. Other boxes of junk were piled in the corners. This certainly didn't look like the workshop of a magus. However, looks could be deceiving. So, Illya decided to have a poke around. She felt a lot of mana was being collected underneath the tarp, so she moved it aside a bit and found, of all things, a Formalcraft circle, one meant to collect mana.

'_I knew it! Oniichan does know magecraft!_' She looked at the circle itself and noticed it was rather old as if it had been here awhile. Then she looked at the whole thing. She quickly realized the style used_. 'This is an Einzbern Alchemy Circle. Mama must've made this… during the last War.' _Illya didn't have many mementos of her mother, so to find this, here, startled her. She wanted to examine it more, or maybe cry, but she could afford to do neither without alerting Oniichan that something was wrong. '_I guess he's not a magus after all… which meant grandpapa lied to me!'_

Illyasviel was not a happy girl at the moment. Someone was gonna die for this.

She turned to leave already planning all sorts of painful things to do to her grandfather when she accidently kicked the metal pipe. She looked at it, and sensed residual prana coming from it. Picking it up, she examined it. Due to possessing the Einzbern Sorcery Trait of Wish Granting, Illyasviel could use magecraft simply by willing the effect and pumping prana into the action she wished to perform, skipping the need for incantations altogether. Additionally, she could also tell what magecraft someone was trying to enact just by studying it for a bit. It was a side benefit of such a Sorcery Trait.

'_Just a few hours ago, fifteen at the most, someone had tried enhancing the durability of this pipe. Reinforcement?'_ Illya glanced at Shirou who was cluelessly watching her handle his bits and bobbles. '_Why is Oniichan practicing such a useless skill…'_ Illya checked the pipe again and noted Shirou hadn't done a very good job at even this basic skill. That gave her a thought. '_Unless, that's all he's good at and he's not even decent at that?' _She had to know. She needed to understand. She had already accepted her grandfather had lied to her, but the idea of Shirou being better than her was ludicrous at this point and she just needed confirmation. She needed to hear it from him. Illya turned to him with the pipe still in her hands. "Onii-chan, tell me something…"

The way Illya just spoke, like her voice was steel wrapped in silk, made Shirou instinctively take a loose fighting stance. "Yes Ojou-chan?"

Illya smiled like an angel but her eyes promised the pain of the devil if he lied. "Are you a magus Oniichan?"

The fact she even knew the proper term for one who practiced thaumaturgy told Shirou a lot. He didn't see the point in lying to her.

"I am," he curtly admitted.

Illya blinked and nodded. "You didn't lie." She smiled at him. "I like that about you Oniichan. I still don't know what I'm going to do about you, but I'm glad your honest. I don't like liars."

Shirou was thrown off by the sudden change in atmosphere. He slowly approached the pixie in his shed. "Who are you really, Ojou-chan?"

Illya turned her head to the side petulantly. "I don't feel like telling you right now. Kiritsugu didn't tell you about me at all, so I don't want to either."

Shirou huffed. "I wished you'd tell me how you knew the old man!" Shirou didn't like being left out of the loop.

"Pff!" Illya covered her mouth as she giggled. "Old man! You don't call him anything like dad, or papa, but old man?"

Shirou shrugged. "It felt appropriate." He got close. "How did you know him?"

"Not saying," Illya replied curtly. "Your supposed to be making me food while I make a phone call remember?"

Shirou opened his mouth to argue but stopped. He did say he would cook for her. He would hate to be a bad host. "Alright then, keep your secrets for now. I'll get them out of you another time. Come on then, back to the house."

'_I haven't decided what to do about you yet Oniichan, but you're… interesting, I'll say that much.' _Illya thought to herself as she followed Shirou back into the house.

* * *

"I'm guessing your guardians weren't too happy?" Shirou asked as he continued to cook from the kitchen. He could hear the woman on the other end of the line yelling from here.

Illya shot him a glare. "Quiet Oniichan. Sella can be… overprotective."

"I see, so how long until she comes to get you?" he asked as he put the finishing touches on dinner.

Illya flipped through television channels until she came upon a magical girl anime full of pastels and pretty colors. "Puella Magi Madoka Magica will begin shortly."

She was enthralled. "She should be here in about half an hour Oniichan."

Shirou put a plate full of Japanese style ribs, rice, and miso soup in front of Illya along with a spork. "That should be plenty of time for you to eat this."

Illya glared at the spork before her gaze flicked to her patronizing host. "I know how to use chopsticks Onii-chan."

"Sorry." He handed her a pair and the two ate while watching the show Illya picked out.

"Onii-chan…" Illya asked as it dragged on.

"Yeah?"

"Are magical girl shows always like this?" Illya couldn't help but ask as they watched a pink haired girl talk to an evil little plush doll.

"No, I've never seen anything like this before."

"Huh… I like it!"

Shirou blinked and looked at her. "Really?"

Illya nodded. "Yeah, its like this was produced by an actual magus…"

The two looked at each other startled. "You don't think…"

Illya picked up where he left off. "Its possible most magi don't bother with technology even televisions so this could totally fly under the radar."

The voice of Kyuubi came over the television acting as the announcer for the show. "Thanks for watching the first episode! Tune in tomorrow to see what happens!"

"Wha… but the only way we can know for sure is if we see all the episodes!" Illya whined. She turned to Shirou. "Oniichan, we need to get to the bottom of this! If someone is trying to reveal magecraft to the world through anime, we need to stop them!"

"We do?" Shirou wasn't too sure about that.

"Yes! Which means I'm going to come back here and watch that show until it's over, just to be sure."

Now, Shirou may not be the sharpest knife in the block, but he was fairly certain Illya was making up a pretty good excuse just to come over and eat his food every day, not that he minded. He enjoyed cooking for more than just Taiga who inhaled her meals. He shrugged. "If you say so."

The doorbell suddenly rang. "Your guardian is here. I'll let her in."

"No, I'll do it." Illya got up before Shirou could protest.

Shirou heard his front door open and heard Illya greet his guardian. "Hi Sella… Leysritt… Berserker-chan?!"

The voice of a stern woman spoke first. "Mistress, that you would go out unattended without an escort is bad enough, but to go home with a stranger, and then have them cook you a meal when we are perfectly capable of doing so is inconceivable."

"Now, now Sella," This voice sounded simpler almost childlike. "Maybe Illya just wanted good food for a change."

"Are you saying my cooking is bad Leysritt?" The first woman, Sella asked acidly.

"Your cooking, your attitude, both need work." Leysritt commented archly.

Sella spoke again, her tone promising pain. "Why you…"

The last person at his doorstep spoke, her tone filled with authority. "Enough, both of you! We have yet to even thank Illya's host ourselves due to your bickering. So, before we chastise her, let us thank him for his kindness."

Hearing four pairs of feet making their way towards him, Shirou stood to receive his new guests. Three beautiful women entered his home. The first two were wearing rather conservative black and white maid uniforms complete with hats. They looked identical to the point Shirou thought they might've been Illya's older sisters since they had the same skin tone and eye color.

The woman standing in between them caught his eye though. She too could've passed herself off as Illya's relative. Pale hair, with an even paler complexion, but her eyes all but glowed a luminous yellow, like that of a wolf. She filled out the black dress she was wearing perfectly, it hugged all of her curves and made her look like a lady of the courts. Yet beneath the beauty Shirou could sense a danger. This woman regardless of how pretty she looked was deadly. She was a trained warrior.

Shirou stood and bowed just low enough to be respectful, not wanting to take his eyes off this woman. "Hello, welcome to my home. I trust you found the place alright?"

The woman in the middle, which Illya referred to in the hall as 'Berserker-chan' eyed Shirou up, as if taking his measure. Finally, as if finding what she was looking for, she nodded smiling. "Yes, we did. Thank you for looking after Illya. We know she can be a handful."

Shirou shook his hand waving away such thoughts. "It was no trouble. I enjoyed having her."

Berserker nodded again, weird nickname but whatever. "We thank you for your kindness. We should be going now."

"Bye-bye Oniichan, see you tomorrow!" Illya waved as she was shepherded towards the door.

"Why would you be coming back here Mistress?" Sella asked as they walked down the hallway.

"Oniichan and I have uncovered a possible conspiracy to reveal magecraft to the general public!" Illya exclaimed happily.

The maid couldn't believe it. "I… you… we… we shall discuss this when we get home mistress. We all still have our duty to the Einzbern to consider before we go chasing frivolous plots."

Shirou didn't let out the breath he was holding until he heard their call pull away. When it finally did, he let out a long sigh of relief. "I thought that woman would never leave."

"Agreed."

Shirou's eyes widened and he turned his head to see an absolutely drop-dead gorgeous woman in a skin-tight black bodysuit of cloth and leather. Her hair was a curtain of shadow trailing down her back, her skin white as fresh snow, and her eyes red as blood, yet there was a deep sorrow there as well. Her eyes were matched in color by the two intricate spears she was holding in either hand.

"Is my face that fascinating?" the unknown woman questioned, sounding amused.

Shirou snapped out of his daze and flipped to his feet, into a combat stance due to sheer muscle memory. "Who are you?"

The woman gracefully stood revealing her goddess-like body in full. "I am a fellow warrior boyo. I've come to kill you as forming an alliance with that girl could be troublesome. However, a warrior shouldn't die with empty hands, on the ground like a common dog, so I shall give you a moment to arm yourself properly."

Shirou eyed the woman levelly gauging her words for a moment before nodding. "Follow me please."

Shirou led the way to his house's dojo where a small shrine to the old man was kept. There sitting just below his black and white picture of the tired old man, was that same intricate katana. Raiga had it commissioned shortly after the old man's death to serve as both memento and last gift to his friend. Issei's father even consecrated it himself before going off on a spiritual journey to another temple.

It was a stunning piece of work, the sheath was made of a single piece of ivory with pictures separated by bands of bronze, each depicting scenes from the Japanese creation myth. The tsuba was of solid iron in the shape of a sundial, the grip was genuine ray skin wrapped on black silk with the brass handle ornaments being that of hourglasses. Hanging from a brass half loop, wrapped into a cord and treated to withstand the test of time, was a length of the old man's hair six inches long.

Shirou gazed reverently at the blade with as much emotion as Illya did at his picture earlier. Slowly he stripped himself of his jacket and shirt. They would just be in the way.

When Lancer saw the intricate artwork on the boy's back along with his rippling muscles, she stopped and stared at both in appreciation. '_He is quite fit. The artwork is quite well done too, it is a shame to keep such a thing covered up all the time. Wouldn't you agree Master?'_

'_L... Lancer! Will you stop focusing on his back and look at the picture?'_

Lancer couldn't help but tease her master a little for despite fighting monsters and magi on a daily basis, when it came to men, despite her age, she was still a maiden. '_Come now, simply seeing a man's bare back shouldn't unnerve you so.'_

'_No… well yes, but that's not the point! The picture is important!'_

Lancer indulged her master and focused on the black and white picture instead of the back of the warrior she would soon be fighting. She saw a warrior who was tired, who though alive, had already died a spiritual death. One who was simply waiting for the end. It saddened her to even look upon a picture of such a man. For a warrior should die on their feet, weapon in hand, battle cry on their lips, and their beliefs held strongly in their heart. This man though, had been crushed on a spiritual level. It hit far too close to home for her.

'_I knew it! That's the Magus Killer! He's a notorious freelance mage… if this boy is his son, then it's even more imperative we kill him before he summons a Servant. Why'd you even let him come here anyway?'_

Lancer rebuked her master. '_It's bad enough I snuck into his house like a sneak thief master, I will not stoop so low as to stabbing him in the back like a common Assassin.'_

'_Fair enough.'_ Lancer's master conceded.

Lancer's attention was drawn to the sound of steel being drawn from its sheath. She found the boy, his back still to her, the sword in one hand, the sheath in the other. The blade was a dull grey, and seemed to suck in the light around it, the wave pattern caused by the hamon temper line made Lancer think of stormy waves at sea. She could feel a deep, dark curse coming from that sword, one even more potent than her own spear. Lancer tightened her grip on her spears, this wouldn't be as easy as she thought.

'_That is a powerful Mystic Code the boy wields.'_

'_Be careful Lancer.'_

Lancer scoffed at her master's concern. '_I'll be fine master. He's still only human, no matter the power of his weapon. Thank you for your worry though.'_

The boy turned to face her with resignation in his golden eyes. Was he resigned to his death, or merely this fight? Lancer wasn't sure, but he was ready all the same. "Ready boyo?"

Shirou nodded stiffly once. "I am. Before we begin though, I would like to know one thing."

"Oh? Just one thing?" Lancer found herself amused by his willingness to stare death in the face and ask it a question. "What might that be?"

"What is the name of the person here to kill me? You can at least do me that courtesy, can't you?" Shirou inquired of his would-be executioner.

Lancer didn't see the harm, seeing as he would soon be dead. "My Class designation is Lancer of Yellow. However, my name is Scáthach, Queen of the Land of Shadows."

Shirou had no idea what she meant by class designation, but he got her name at least. He gave a polite bow. "Shirou Emiya, Scáthach-no kimi." Shirou used an old suffix no kimi meaning 'my lady' as in a lady of the court.

He was being so formal, even though she was about to kill him. She was starting to like this boy. "Here I come, Shirou-kun!"

Scáthach charged at him, using only a tenth of her strength. She wanted to see what he was capable of, not just overwhelm him with sheer strength. She swatted at him with her spears only for him to hop over them, and swing at her with his own blade. Lancer leaned back, avoiding beheadment by a hair's breadth. The Gaelic queen spun her spears deftly in her hands, getting him outside of her guard before she poked at him repeatedly through the numerous holes in his defense.

Yet he sidestepped, deflected, and dodged every single attack she threw his way, before swinging the sheath of his sword at her like a bludgeon. He just managed to tap her on the tip of her nose this time, surprising her.

'_How is he doing that? His stance is full of openings, I've counted at least thirty, yet he's avoided every strike I've sent his way thus far.'_

This boy just kept fascinating her to no end. She wanted to know more. Scáthach put a little more power into her strikes now, and the boy before he began to falter. She was honestly surprised he'd kept up with her thus far. It was then that she realized. '_Reinforcement? Rather sloppily done too.'_

She took a stab at his head with one spear only for him to jerk to the side to avoid it, gaining a cut on his cheek as he charged in. She swept low with her other weapon, he could've easily blocked it with his sword, likely at the risk of shattering it, though probably not due to the mystery provided by the strong curse. He did not, however. Instead, he slid like a baseball player, stabbing his weapon into the tatami mats and used his momentum being halted to kick upwards hitting her in the chin. For a moment, all Scáthach saw was the wooden ceiling. Due to years of fighting, she felt the blade coming for her exposed neck and blocked it using nothing but muscle memory.

'_Lancer stop messing around! He almost killed you there!'_ Her master was beginning to fret.

'_Not to worry master, the boy is getting desperate, but that's not what concerns me.'_ Lancer looked at the boy who was huffing his body covered in a layer of sweat.

'_What does?'_

'_The boy values that sword more than he does his own life. He was unwilling to risk it shattering against my spear just now. It is that important to him, being a last memento of his father.'_

'_You're trying to kill him, what kind of priorities does this kid have?' _her master questioned.

'_I don't know, but it makes him all the more interesting don't you think?'_

'_End it Lancer. I'll use a Command Seal if I have to.'_ Lancer could tell by her master's tone that she didn't want to resort to that method, but she would do so if she didn't hurry up.

"You've fought well," Scáthach praised, as if she were a teacher to her star student.

Shirou accepted the compliment with a nod. "You've been holding back on me this entire time, like a cat toying with a mouse."

The queen of the Land of Shadows gave a short contrite bow in apology. "Yes, I simply wanted to test your mettle. I meant no offense. Truly it seems a shame to kill such a promising warrior in an era when they are so scarce but orders are orders."

Scáthach bumped her output up to a flat E rank and delivered a swift kick to Shirou's stomach which sent him flying out into his backyard. Shirou landed on his back and rolled to a stop in front of his shed, not once letting go of his weapon. Scáthach watched impassively as he struggled to his feet. She lazily threw one of her spears in his direction, and much to her surprise, he deflected it. Preventing it from piercing his heart, instead it gored him in his right pectoral going through his ribcage and lung.

Shirou coughed up blood but he refused to fall. '_I can't die yet! I still haven't fulfilled my oath to the old man! Promised him I'd become a hero in his place.'_ Through sheer force of will, he kept himself on his feet and began a death march forward.

Scáthach couldn't believe the audacity of this human. '_Is it even right to call him human? Is he something else entirely?'_ she wondered as he marched on determinedly towards her, despite having a spear lodged in his chest.

Calling her weapon back to her with but a gesture and allowing his wound to bleed freely, Scáthach prepared herself for a final charge. The Queen of Shadows launched herself at Shirou Emiya, spears pulled back to gore him like a charging rhino. The moment she struck, Shirou spun on his heel completely avoiding the blow and used his momentum along with the weight of his sword to deliver a slight flesh wound to her right arm, the only real wound he inflicted throughout the entire fight.

Shirou was caught up in the slipstream her rapid movement created and was flung forwards into his shed. His blood pooled on the floor and Shirou weakly reached for the edge of a nearby table to pull himself to his feet. All he managed to do was pull an ancient scroll, a gift from Raiga-oyabun on top of him. It was an original copy of the _Go Rin no Sho_, the Book of Five Rings. Shirou heard Scáthach slowly approaching his position, yet he couldn't move anymore.

'I don't want to die yet. I haven't completed my oath to the old man, and Illya-chan is coming back tomorrow… plus I still need to figure out everything with the girls at school. I can't die yet! I want to live. I want to live!'

The magic circle beneath Shirou began to glow a bloody crimson as if it heard his silent plea to survive.

* * *

Her journey was never ending. This samurai continued her lone quest for the 'nothing beyond the one'. She journeyed from world to world, battling foe after foe, seeking the elusive state of nothingness. She had yet to find it despite all her wonderings. She was on her way to her next destination, when she felt a tugging. Something was calling to her. Information was being forced into her brain. Grail War, a battle between Heroes of the ages, this one grander than any before. Three factions Yellow, Red, and Blue. She was being offered the chance to participate and would be given a new title to go along with the many she already possessed.

Saber of Yellow.

The woman smiled. "It sounds like fun! Let's do it!"

The contract was struck. The woman felt herself being pulled away… an oath filling her mind and preparing to fall from her lips.

* * *

Shirou didn't know if it was the blood loss or something else, but the woman standing before him now was the most beautiful of the lot. Her bright pink hair was held back in a ponytail by a wooden black and red hair clip. Her eyes were currently closed. Her rough yet robust body was clad in a low-cut blue kimono with wide sleeves kept shut with a simple clasp, that allowed her belly to peek out through the folds. Four katana were strapped to her waist, and her legs were covered in simple sturdy looking iron armor. She opened her eyes; the color of her hair made her eyes stand out all the more. Bright vibrant green like transparent jade.

She spoke in an energetic yet formal tone. "I am Servant Saber of the Yellow Faction. I have come at your summons. I ask of you, are you my master?"

* * *

**Word Count: 27,857** **Number of Pages: 68** **Date Completed: 3/13/2019**

* * *

**AN: **

**Gah, a new hell has come upon me! I… mean I am so happy that another fic has come into being thus says Heliosion, the poor fucker made to… WAIT A MINUTE… I didn't have much to do with this! Gasp… LE GASP! Is Bubba learning not to make common errors? I must contact the embassy! The signs are here. Nostradamus predicted the 'man who would learn some grammar would signify the end of the world.' We should look for flying pigs and guys named Josh who will be sacrificed to save us from this aberration to the universe!**

**But seriously this has been the most obvious project he never thought of until I got my shotgun and made him see the obviousness of this project. He can write a Grail War, eat pizza and he's all out of pizza without trying! So over to you Bubbajack! See you all later! Remember worship Stan Lee everyone! And remember that Bruce Lee died for all your sins… um I think that's how it went! See you space cowboys!**

**Helios… your an ass. But your my friend so I'll let it go. That said, I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of Fate/Triumvirate. Till next time everyone, I leave you with the first of many Servant profiles!**

**Servant:** Lancer

**Secondary Classes:** Caster

**True Name:** Scáthach

**Title:** Queen of the Land of Shadows, Witch of Dun Scaith

**Gender:** Female

**Height/Weight: **168/55kg – 5'3/121lbs.

**Hair/Eye Color:** Black/Red

**Complexion:** White

**Alignment: **Neutral Good

**Parameters:**

**STR:** B **MAG:** C

**END:** A **LUK:** D

**AGI:** A **NP:** A+

**Class Skills:**

**Magic Resistance:** _Ability to nullify magic effects._ **(A):** Immune to modern magecraft.

**Personal Skills:**

**God Slayer: **_is where as the demonic realm's, [The Shadow Realm's], gatekeeper, Scáthach's continual slaying of multitudes of Divine Spirits has become a Skill. _**(B): **This Skill is super effective against Divine Spirits. A 'plus' modifier is gained when attacking Divine Spirits, wraiths, and Servants with the Divinity Skill.

**Divinity: **Denotes _one's closeness to the Divine._ **(E-):** Scáthach gained divinity through sheer skill. Through her sheer will to find greater challenges she crossed the threshold from 'mortal' to 'divine'. Due to that however, her rank in this skill is very low.

**Primordial Rune:** _is the possession of and knowledge about Runes that came from an older era. Those with possession and knowledge of Primordial Runes can also make use of the classic Rune Magic. _**(-): **She has Runes hailing from Scandinavia, almost known as Scandinavian Magic Crests. These runes are different from the Runes modern magi use. These are Primal Runes with the power of the Age of Gods. Because of the Norse chief god Odin, they had spread throughout the world. She, who granted Cú Chulainn 18 Primal Runes, is as strong in magecraft as she is a warrior.

**Wisdom of the Haunted Ground:** _is the intellect of the abyss, acquired as a consequence of surpassing humanity, killing gods and being left behind in the outside of the world._ **(A+):** With the exception of those particular of certain heroes, almost all Skills can be displayed with a proficiency level of B~A Rank. Also, only towards those she has recognized as true heroes, it is also possible to teach such Skills. During combat, a Skill that she often employs is foresight of battle conditions by means of 'Clairvoyance'. Even in Ulster mythology, she often predicted the future with such foresight, even the final moments of her beloved pupil Cú Chulainn.

**NP:**

**Gáe Bolg Alternative:** _Soaring Spear of Piercing Death._ **Type:** Anti-Unit **Rank:** B+ **Range:** 5-40 **Max # of Targets:** 50

**Lore: **_When the True Name Gáe Bolg Alternative: Soaring Spear of Piercing Death is activated, its capabilities combines the two functions of Cú Chulainn's Noble Phantasms, __**"Barbed Spear that Pierces with Death"**_ _and "__**Soaring Spear that Strikes with Death".**_ _First, a close-ranged attack from the first demonic spear would rob the enemy's movement by "pinning them in a spot in the air", and the second demonic spear would strike through everything if thrown with her full might. Obviously, any enemy caught in the line of the thrown spear would be killed._

**Gate of Skye: **_Gate to the Magical Realm Brimming with Death. _**Type:** Anti-Army **Rank:** A+ **Range:** 2-50 **Max # of Targets:** 200

**Lore**_: is a Noble Phantasm possessed by Scáthach, related to the gate of the Land of Shadows. Scáthach temporarily summons a massive gate to her shadow realm, and it sucks in all life forms in range. If the target fails to resist it with one's Mana or Luck stat, they're sucked into the gate and are instantly killed. Scáthach can choose specific targets on whether to allow them access or not. Even if resisted, the targets' mana is rapidly drained, and they take major damage._

**Ochd Deug Odin: **_Great God Carved Seal. _**Type:** Anti-Fortress **Rank:** A **Range:** 1-80 **Max # of Targets:** 500

**Lore**_: is the Noble Phantasm also known by Cú Chulainn in his Caster form. In modern terms, it is known as Matrix Wodan. It is a Noble Phantasm activated by invoking all the 18 original runes conferred by Odin to Scáthach together with the release of the True Name._

_The power of the rune obtained by the Great God Odin of Northern Europe is temporarily released to bestow large-scale magic damage on the enemy camp. Furthermore, surviving enemies will have all their buff effects dispelled, the parameters of their abilities will be forcibly reduced by one rank and, in case they possess constantly active Noble Phantasms, those will be halted for 1~2 turns. An extremely powerful trump card, there is also a possibility that use-restrictions have been applied by Odin—but details are left unknown._


	2. Chapter 2

**Fate Triumvirate**

**By: Bubbajack**

**Beta: Heliosion**

**Disclaimer: I do not own FSN.**

**Ch.2: Infighting.**

* * *

His whole body just stopped. Shirou's every inch of flesh and bone shook like a sheet in the wind as the wound fired its pain all over his entire body. His bones shook, his knees wobbled as the weight of possible death swallowed him whole. One leg gave way under the pressure but his sheer will to live defied the inevitable second limb giving way.

Shirou Emiya was not going to die on his knees like some punk assed bitch.

His chest wound bled readily, staining him in a glorious red that he rarely saw coming from himself. The beautiful spear, his Structural Analysis telling him it was called 'Gáe Bolg' from the fact he was unfortunately connected to it a little too intimately for his taste and indeed it belonged to a woman named Scáthach, a legend from Celtic myth who went beyond 'humanity' to reach a higher form in ancient Scotland and Ireland that made the gods quiver. She became more than human through sheer effort, ruled the Land of Shadows, Dun Scaith, defying everything that was supposed to be greater than her that tried to take it from the woman and taught many others, legends in their own right including one Hound of Ulster whom had once himself touched this spear.

It was nice and all that his magecraft told him exactly who'd tried to kill him but seriously…

Shirou buckled again like a galleon trapped in a storm and this time the second knee fell down. He was really in trouble here.

"Master, your bleeding!" Saber saw the gaping wound in her master's chest and didn't hesitate to help. She unsheathed one of her blades and promptly cut off one of her long billowing sleeves, wrapping it around his torso as best she could, forming a makeshift tourniquet. Pressing both of his hands to the rapidly staining piece of blue cloth, Saber told him, "Just hold it there as hard as you can Master, while I go deal with the intruder."

Saber watched her groaning master put pressure in the right way then turned with a scowl on her face and walked out of the shed, her green eyes locked onto the crimson of Lancer's own. The pair had a stare down, eyes sharper than the weapons they carried in the narrow courtyard. Murder was in the air, thicker than titanium. "You attacked that boy in there didn't you?"

Lancer saw no point in denying it. She swung her crimson spear over one shoulder and challengingly showed her lack of fear in admitting her deeds. Saber's hackles rose, a low growl emitting from her throat at the audacity of this woman.

"I did, my master and I had hoped to end him before he could summon a Servant. We failed. I do not like being sloppy with my work"

Saber's scowl deepened. To even hint at a murder being 'sloppy' just made the honorable woman want to spit blood. She had killed many but never did she cheapen that death with such uncaring nonchalance. "People like you who trample on others pride, I can't stand people like you."

Lancer readied her weapons, one spear for each hand twirling like a baton over one another yet her skill prevented the two spears from ever touching at ridiculous speeds that could uplift a helicopter. "Then quit talking and do something about it, girl."

"I intend to! I, Saber of Yellow, will make you pay for what you've done!" The pinkette charged, right foot forward and swung with elegance like a swallow diving into the river to catch prey.

'_Did she just say?'_ Scáthach asked her master. '_Master? Did I hear her right?'_

Her beseeching tone unnerved her Master who stuttered ever so slightly but not out of nerves more sheer surprise. The voice didn't belong to the kind of person who got flustered easily so it was even more comical than usual.

'_Saber of Yellow?'_ Her master finished. '_For fecking sake! You cannae be fooking serious!'_

Her devolving into local accent, the thick Irish brogue of an angry Irish woman would've scared the only male in the area into compliance alone.

Lancer didn't have a chance to think on her Master's humorous devolution into proper, well for lack of a better term _Irish-ness_, for the samurai-esque Saber was upon her in moments having crossed the space between the stone shed and the porch of the house in an instant. Lancer just barely had time to stop posing to cross her spears to deflect the downward chop aimed to cut into her head like a melon and the follow up where she made a feint, one sword strike where she 'overreached' for the one meant to cut her with the other sword from above. '_She is strong, stronger than me at the moment.'_ Lancer smiled. Sometimes, it was good to answer the call to be a Servant in the morning. '_Good, that means I'm actually going to have to try. Let me see if this girl can handle this so well when I actually try!'_

Scáthach was the queen and keeper of the realm of the dead, it was a place that existed outside of space and time, much like the Throne of Heroes. When a hero perished their souls would pass through her realm, however transiently it may be, on their way to either the Throne or some other afterlife. Once there, she could learn their skills, so long as they were not something truly unique to them. That was her right as queen of the abyss. She could access the abilities of almost all heroes except those divinely given or attained due to unique circumstances.

For she possessed the wisdom of the _haunted ground_.

Scáthach easily pushed Saber back her strength having increased by two ranks thanks to a quick application of _Natural Monster_, and _Monstrous Strength _making the simple push seem like she was swatting a fly. She swung her spears about like they had the weight of feathers, tips gouging out chunks of earth like a hot knife through warm butter. The momentum created when the spears rejected anything solid as just being in the way and not taking away their force, hell the power only grew as she destroyed anything and everything, whipping up currents of wind, moving them so quickly they were a blur of red motion in her hands.

Saber, having had the early advantage was upstaged extremely quickly and was forced back to the speed at which her opponent was moving, creating a barrier of steel between the two of them, the song of metal clashing together producing a violent symphony with a promised dramatic ending. However, Scáthach wasn't done yet. Oh, she was someone with more than just a single trick up her sleeve. After smashing her foot against the flat of one of Saber's sword to send her head in the direction that wasn't facing her foe, Scathach wasn't above making cheap shots by the way copies of the same spears in her hands, dozens of them, appeared in the air above her and shot towards Saber as Lancer slowly continued her advance.

Lancer wasn't the only one with tricks up her sleeve though. Saber had a few of her own. Saber had been born with a special pair of eyes. Empyrean Eyes, the Eyes of Heaven, that saw her the victor of over a hundred battles. For with them she could render a particular outcome 'inevitable', and right now, what she really wanted, was to cut off the arm of the Lancer in front of her. She didn't need to see for the outcome had already been revealed to her. So, without turning at first, she spun on the spot almost one hundred and eighty degrees, her sword knocking a single spear aside. With the flat of both swords, two more were pushed aside which horizontally spun as they were deflected and collided with many more caught in their flight path, scattering them all like sakura blossoms. Saber of Yellow with a clear window of movement dashed into the rain of crimson spears at both sides of her heedless of their deadly cursed points hitting her, for she knew none of them would if she kept running in the centre where none would able to find her. That had been made impossible as it would get in the way of her goal of dismembering her opponent.

Saber swung both of her katana, one burned with a crimson heat, while the other was surrounded by a gale. Swinging them in concert produced a gout of flame that Lancer rushed headlong into, not fearing magecraft of any rank due to her magic resistance. The two warriors clashed once again. Spear shafts were bit into by the edges of blades, and the two found their weapons locked once Saber swiftly slapped them edges like a pair of fans so the blades could force the two spears together into a checkmate..

For reasons she didn't fully understand, the Queen of the Land of Shadows felt her right arm growing steadily weaker as this skirmish dragged on. She glanced at her arm and noticed that the small cut the boy had inflicted on her hadn't healed.

"Now," Scáthach replied as even more spears appeared around them both. "I've got you."

Yet, Saber just smiled as the spears began to fall. She twirled around Lancer whispering in her ear as she did, "No, you don't. You never did."

As she spun, Saber of Yellow drew one of her two remaining blades from her sheath, there was a wet meaty ripping sound as her sword sliced clean through Lancer's right arm, sending it flying into a nearby koi pond, spear still clasped in her hand. If Lancer was concerned with the loss of her forearm, she didn't show it. She just glanced at Saber, then at her severed limb, then to Saber who took a step back at the satisfied smile on her face.

Her next sentence drove a spear deeper into her pride than any could into her body.

"This is the boy's victory, not yours."

Before Saber could ask what she meant, saw Lancer's arm miraculously reattach itself as if the wound she inflicted was flowing in reverse. Blood flowed back into the arm, flesh and bone reattached, and even cloth was stitched back together.

'_No, not all of it.'_ Saber noted a small flesh wound on her arm refused to heal and kept on bleeding. It was a stranger sight than the arm that told time it was not the right well _time _to lose a limb.

"It has been many years since someone has been able to cut off one of my limbs. You should be proud." Lancer praised. She tensed the hand, muscle bulging but not unsightly. "It's always stiff when it gets cut off. I had nearly forgotten that."

"It doesn't really mean anything if it'll just reattach." Saber rebutted, her pride hot like a poker had been shoved through it. That comment just didn't sit right to her as if she had been in a duel that she ended up sitting out so someone else could win it for her.

Lancer nodded solemnly. Her words were wise but the Lancer could see that the wisdom they evoked didn't match the tone of her foe. Saber's pride and honor was easily spotted behind her calm visage. Both were poisons in the real battlefield.

"True. I am one who has stepped beyond mortality and into the realm of the Divine. I cannot be killed so easily."

"Is that so?" Saber sounded intrigued if not a bit suspicious too. That line made her sound like she was a very old Servant. "How'd you manage that?"

Lancer gave a wan smile. "I killed. I killed, and I killed, and I killed. Humans, wraiths, spirits, demons, and Gods. I have killed all manner of creatures to the point I could no longer be considered human due to my prowess with murder. I murdered my way to divinity, blood spilled on me would make even the greatest soldier in this age green with nausea."

If Lancer was trying to discourage Saber, she failed utterly. Saber was no coward! "So, in other words, I just have to try harder!"

Lancer laughed. "My, my, if it only was that easy I guess? Your quite spirited, aren't you?" Lancer drew a rune across her wounded flesh causing it to seal shut, yet despite that, it still left a scar. Scáthach wanted to scowl but acting was a skill every warrior needed on the battlefield at times and she retained that unattached, 'stare at ants' look on her face. '_The curse on the sword of that boy's must be potent indeed to resist the power of primordial runes. It is a shame I cannot ask him what he has done yet though hopefully after this I may get an answer or two. What an interesting Master she has fufufufufufu.'' _Lancer tilted her head back when a blade came swooping for her neck. "That's not very chivalrous of you," she mocked slightly, "I had you pegged as someone who told a girl what she was going to stick something pointy at them, not just attack me when I'm unprepared."

"You should pay attention when your foe is right in front of you!" Saber shot back. "It doesn't matter how I win, as long as I win." Her swords clanged as they bounced off one another. "Even if I have to run away and fight you another time, as long as I don't die, I can always come back and claim victory later."

"An opportunist." Lancer commented drolly. "Hmm, so you're that kind of person. I had not thought you were a cheater."

"Strategist," Saber corrected, as she swung as Lancer again. "Cheaters always prosper in duels."

"We will see little cheater," Lancer sang out as she lunged for her foe.

The clanging of weapons rang out in the night, and irregular gusts of wind blew forth from the Emiya Estate as two warriors of legend clashed dozens of times within the span of a few seconds. The ground was torn asunder with every turned blow, the crack of a gunshot rang out with every movement the two made as they tried ever harder to kill each other. Yet, despite how hard each was trying to take the life of the other, both women wore the biggest of smiles on their faces. They were enjoying themselves at the moment. For nothing mattered but the two of them, stuck as they were in this deadly dance.

"Emiya-kun!" Saber looked over to see a girl with dark hair in twintails wearing a red coat and orange scarf along with a younger girl wearing a blue coat that covered her entire form standing off to the side.

Next to them were what could only be two other Servants. The first had long pink hair much like Saber's own, with two horns jutting out of her forehead and separating her bangs, and her bright crimson eyes. She wore an elaborate kimono and intricate samurai armor. She was armed with a katana and naginata, but her main weapon seemed to be the massive yumi bow she carried in her left hand.

The other Servant had purple hair, skin the color of onyx, and had a bone mask covering the upper half of her face. She was clad in a leotard that was low cut to the point of going all the way down to her bellybutton and the bizarre appearing woman had a brace of daggers ready to be thrown in one hand.

"Girl," Saber shouted. "Make yourself useful and see to my Master! He is wounded in the shed over there."

Rin jumped at being addressed so harshly, but considering the Servant was in combat at the moment, she decided not to argue. "Right, c'mon Miyu. Archer help Saber!"

"Yes Nee-chan, Assassin, cover us!" Miyu gave instructions to her own Servant as she followed after her adoptive sister.

Flame tipped arrows rained down on the Queen of the Land of Shadows, but she deftly deflected them all utilizing _Protection from Arrows_, before returning fire with her own volley of spears.

Archer nocked another three arrows and shot the crimson spears out of the air. "Saber!"

"I'm on it!" Saber replied, dashing in and slashing an 'x' across Lancer's chest. The wound did little but distract her for a moment, as Lancer's flesh quickly knit itself back together.

"Why won't she die?!" Archer yelled out over the din of battle. "Bullshit healing powers!"

Her swearing felt more off than the Lancer who wouldn't let death get the memo and off her.

Slicing off Lancer's hand to get a moment of reprieve, Saber replied, "It's because she's immortal or so she claims."

"Fantastic." Archer drawled as she loosened another flaming volley. "Just fucking fantastic!"

Again, the swearing was more jarring than the Lancer messing with the space time continuum like she was going for a walk to the park.

* * *

While both Archer and Saber were keeping the immortal Lancer busy, Rin and anxious enough that the saying 'Ants in her pants' had a picture of her beside it in a book somewhere Miyu had finally made it into the shed. The rather obvious summoning circle was still crackling with leftover prana, blood had stained it and in the middle facedown and not looking his usual dashing self was...

"Sempai!" Miyu gasped out, upon seeing him bleeding on the floor. "Sempai!" She panicked when there was no answer. "Sempai! Nee-san! Sempai isn't talking back to me! What if he's dead?" Her sister tried to speak but her panicking younger sister made it impossible to say anything and it was so damn cute! Rin just wanted to learn how to use a phone just to record it. "Sempai! You can't… You can't die! Who will take me to the cinema? Who will I marry…"

"Tohsaka, Miyu-chan… nice night isn't it?" Shirou joked through the pain. Inwardly, he was regretting not sweeping the floor his face was squished against more often. It was just as worrying as the 'marry' word Miyu was babbling, having devolved into one word sentences with a side of intense babbling that not even the guys who decoded the Enigma code could comprehend.

Rin huffed, getting on her knees as she looked over the wound. "You must not be too banged up if you can crack jokes Emiya-kun." Rin noticed the Yakuza tattoos on his shoulders but chose not to comment on them just then. She didn't want the boy she liked bleeding out in front of her.

Miyu wasn't the only one with designs on potential marriage one day. What? She was a tsundere, but still a teenage girl!

When she saw the injury Lancer had inflicted, Rin cursed. "Shit, shit, shit! I don't have enough mana to heal something like this even if I use up all my jewels, and you don't have the experience Miyu."

"Nee-san, what about that pendant? The one your Tou-san left you?" Miyu reminded her adoptive big sister.

Rin's eyes widened before her hand went down her shirt, fishing for something. "Miyu-chan, you're a genius." The Tohsaka heir pulled up a silver chain upon the end of which was a large ruby in the shape of a heater shield. She held it by its chain just above the wound of her object of her affections. "You'd better appreciate what I'm about to do here Emiya-kun! These sorts of stones are not easy to come by baka!"

"Now isn't the time to act like a tsundere nee-chan, Sempai needs help!" Miyu was so not in the mood for this right now. She couldn't lose Sempai, he was too precious to her. Who was going to one day take her on more dates, maybe one day to a hotel…

The rest of her thoughts were too X-rated to be written down.

"What did you just call…"

"Ladies!" Shirou interrupted. "I'm bleeding out here, so if your going to do something please get on with it!"

Neither of them had ever heard the gentle spoken and kind Shirou be so assertive before. '_Must be the blood loss.'_ They both thought at the same time. To Rin, it was blackmail for later on if she needed something and to Miyu it just made her pout that sempai was so impatient.

Rin took a breath. "Ok." She began to chant in a tongue that was foreign to Shirou's ears, it might've been German, he wasn't sure, but his shed was soon filled with a blinding white light… When it cleared not only was Shirou's wounds gone, but he felt like he'd just drank a whole carafe of coffee.

Shirou sat bolt upright, only for Rin and Miyu to try and force him back down. "Don't move you idiot! I just healed you! Your body needs time to process the excess mana in your system right now!"

"Please stay still sempai!" Miyu pleaded. "I don't want to see you get hurt anymore."

Forcing himself up, Shirou revealed his back in full to the two girls causing them to ogle the tattoo on his back. "There's just one problem with that… I have an unwelcome guest in my home… and she needs to go. I forgot to buy tea to present to her." He added mentally, '_And kick her fucking teeth in for smashing up my house.'_

Shiro calmly walked outside and Miyu turned to her older sister figure. "Nee-san, is Shirou-kun a gangster?"

"I… think so," Rin replied, feeling a heartbreak for her little sister was imminent.

"Wow… that's so cool!" Miyu cheered. "My husband is a gangster! Just like in that movie!"

Rin snapped her head to look at the awe struck Miyu. Big sister protocols were now in _full _effect. _Awooga awooga_ went her mental siren.

"What?!"

* * *

Archer had moved in front of the shed to provide her master with extra protection as she continued to send salvo after salvo of flaming arrow at Lancer. When someone exited from the confines of the storage unit, Archer glanced at them out of the corner of her eye, and her breath caught.

'_Yoshinaka-dono?'_ Archer thought, her eyes were deceiving her, that the fervor of battle was playing tricks upon her, but it certainly looked like him. He was younger certainly, but she could never forget her lord's golden-brown eyes and reddish hair, something that made him exotic among the courts in his day. His face was superimposed over the younger man in front of her and the blurred vision from the lack of a difference startled her badly. The youth surveyed the scene with the eyes of a hawk before glancing at her bow and the unfired arrow she had in her hand.

"Excuse me miss, but I'm going to have to borrow that." Archer was so stunned she didn't even try and stop him from taking the bow and arrow from her grip. Shirou _structurally analyzed_ the bow and arrow in his hands. The bow was heavy and had an inhuman draw weight. He would have to brace it against the ground, and then again brace his reinforced leg against the bow just to pull the drawstring. Secondly, there was the arrow. This archer was firing forked arrowheads. Shirou was used to firing practice arrows, or broadheads. Casting his gaze around for something to use as a replacement, Shirou saw the other girl with the dirks. Without even asking, he snatched one out of her hands.

"Wait don't those are… poisoned?" Assassin was shocked the boy wasn't falling over dead after so much as touching one of her weapons. Instead she watched in fascination as he fixed her dirk to the end of one of Archers arrows by bending the metal of Archer's arrowhead like a snake around her throwing knife turning it into a broadhead.

Shirou winced as the feeling of a hot knife being inserted into his spine was felt. This happened every single time he created a magic circuit out of his own nerves. "_**Trace, on."**_

The aria that defined what little he could do. To trace a blueprint of an object, with structural analysis, enhance it with _Reinforcement_, grant it new properties with _Alteration_, and to project illusionary copies of an object with _Projection_. The School of Material Transmutation. That was all Shirou Emiya knew of magecraft, and he wasn't even very good at it, but he was nothing if not stubborn, and right now, all his hard work paid off.

The forked metal of the arrowhead wrapped around the dirk seamlessly. Shirou nocked it on the bow, causing the arrow to burn with flames which burned acidic green at the tip of the arrow. Shirou then reinforced both his leg and his arm as much as he could and pulled the drawstring back before sighting in his target. The usual state of calm overtook him as he prepared to fire. Shirou knew without a doubt, he would hit his mark. Just to be sure however, he called out, before he loosened.

"Hey you damn kids, get the fuck off my lawn!"

* * *

Scáthach didn't know why the barrage of arrows had ceased and she didn't have time to find out for Saber hounded her relentlessly, like a dog with a bone. Her swords flowed like water around her spears, it was as if her spears were reeds in a pond, and her blades were the pond, surrounding her weapons at every turn. Scáthach had been cut numerous times now, nothing that her divine curse wouldn't heal, but still. She couldn't help but be impressed. Even if this girl couldn't kill her, she was tenacious, a woman who didn't take no for an answer. She was a woman after her own heart.

Then, she heard it, something so incredulous it stunned her for just a second at how utterly retarded it was.

"Hey you damn kids, get the fuck off my lawn!"

Lancer's heartbeat of stillness caused her to turn a second after she meant to and just in time for an arrow to strike her just above the valley of her chest. She was thrown off her feet, momentum carrying her like a battering ram and smashed halfway her through the porch of the Emiya Estate, digging up a three foot, six hundred metre trench through stone, wood and earth where she lay in a dazed heap. With blood trickling down from her mouth, Scáthach's head playing the church bells felt a minute after the twelve o'clock bells, the burning pain of both fiery fire and the cold feeling of poison coursing through her body in unison. She had skills she could use to counter both of these things of course, but the idea of that boy, that same mortal boy, managing to wound her twice in the same fight, had sent her laughing. Yes, the Queen of the Land of Shadows, laughed as she lay in a crater of shattered wood, a trail denoting her brief occupation as a digger.

"That makes twice now boyo. Twice you have wounded me. I usually make a policy of sleeping with anyone who does it three times, not that it ever has." Lancer locked her crimson eyes with his own from all the way across the yard. She stood up from the rubble, never removing her eyes from his whose cheeks were adorably red ever so slightly. "You've caught my interest. I've had my fill of battle this night, don't die boyo. I have plans for you."

Lancer disappeared then, her presence completely fading into nothingness.

"How can a Lancer have presence concealment, I thought that was a skill restricted to my Class?" The purple hair woman exclaimed in confusion as she noted how the woman left. "Not fair! Stop stealing my thing, you damn cheating bitch!"

Shirou butted in. "I don't know about what you are upset about or anything really... Could someone I dunno please tell me what the hell is going on here?! Or get off my fucking lawn! It's going to take me ages to fill in that damn hole!"

"Emiya-kun!" Tohsaka and Miyu had come out from the shelter of the shed having seen his shot on Lancer, "That was reckless, you could've gotten hurt, again!"

Turning to her with a deadpan glare, Shirou reiterated. "What is going on here?"

"Just how _long _have you been a Magus on my property?" Rin was steaming, adopting what her friends called the 'Tohsaka lecturing pose number 4' at the fact that he was practicing right under her nose. Like seriously, Rin saw the guy every day thanks to her little sister's adorable crush on the oblivious Yakuza idiot. If anyone at the Clocktower found this out, she as the Second Owner, would never live it down. She could already hear them in London with their noses so high they obstructed aircraft and stiffly disclaiming their disdain over tea and crumpets.

Shirou ignored her and headed towards the girl who'd saved his life. He bowed respectfully. "Thank you, I owe you one. I'm Shirou Emiya."

The girl put her blades back in their sheathes. Shirou blinked at how he had forgotten the rather easy task of identifying her by her swords. Well, he had the excuse that some damn Celtic warrior woman had distracted him by trying to turn his intestines into balloon animals.

Rubbing the back of her head, the swordswoman replied to his greeting, "I'm… Saber I guess and it was nothing really. If you want to repay me though, I could go for some food. I worked up an appetite fighting that Lancer."

'_She reminds me of Taiga for some reason,'_ Shirou thought to himself before smiling. "That can be arranged Saber. It seems we have much to discuss and I at least owe you a new kimono."

She waved off his perceived debt. "No, no, don't worry about it. I couldn't just let you bleed out, now could I?"

"Ahem!" Rin said rather loudly from right next to the two. If she was a cat her ears would've been twitching in irritation.

"Oh, Tohsaka, forgot you were there." The biting jape had those metaphorical ears twitching so hard Shirou almost laughed at the mental image he had in his head. He didn't of course and not just because he was a smart guy who liked living but simply to preserve the seriousness of the situation. He could mock her later on or ask Miyu if she thought her sister having cat ears was funny and the girl would, having the reputation for it buy some out of impulse. "Are you done yammering and ready to pony up some actual answers now?" Shirou asked.

'_Maybe it wasn't just the blood loss,'_ both Rin and Miyu thought to themselves. '_Maybe there is a whole other side to sempai/Emiya-kun I don't know about. He's so cute when he's all alpha male.'_

That last part was only Miyu's thoughts. Tsundere Rin couldn't even compliment a male in her thoughts.

Clearing her throat again and doing her best to suppress her blush, Rin began with her best fake smile. "I think we should go inside and have a little chat Emiya-kun."

Shirou nodded silently, feeling someone walking on his grave for just a second. '_Finally, some answers.'_ He paused for a moment. "Just a second Tohsaka."

Shirou made his way back to the shed. The moment he opened the door, Miyu flung herself on him. "Sempai, you were so cool back there!" Arms wrapped around his neck, she looked at him worriedly. "Are you alright? You didn't strain yourself after your injury, did you?" She pushed him back, both arms on his sides to check his bloody t-shirt. "Nee-san did fix you right?"

Rin silently was appalled at the lack of faith from her imouto.

Shirou found himself incapable of smiling at the little ball of sunshine that was Miyu Sakatsuki, the little sister archetype incarnate… Well until he found out she thought they had a date on Valentine's day. He was going to have tread carefully for a bit with her. Break her heart and Rin would break him.

"I'm fine Miyu-chan." He returned the hug then gently pulled her away before picking up the sword, sheath and scroll, all three of which were stained in blood. "I just came here for these." He handed Miyu the scroll with clear instructions. "Please don't roll up the scroll, I'd like to try and get the blood out if possible."

Shirou meanwhile, picked up the bloodstained rag that was the sleeve of Saber's kimono, and used it to wipe of the edge of his old man's burial sword. He then gently, slowly, reverently, placed it back in its sheath. '_Even in death, you're still looking out for me old man.'_

Miyu looked at the bloodstained scroll she was holding. '_This is clearly important to sempai. I wish I could fix it somehow.' _Then, much to her shock, the blood began to disappear from the manuscript.

"Oh, did you get my blood off with magecraft Miyu?" Shirou asked upon seeing the scroll free of contaminants.

"I… yes. So, you really are a magus sempai?" Miyu asked as the two made their way out of the shed.

Shirou glanced at her as they walked. "Sort of." He then noticed his porch was fixed and blinked in amazement. "Um, wow, who did this?"

"It was a simple bit of magecraft nothing more. You probably could've done it yourself Emiya," Rin stated airily, as if she was trying and failing not to be smug.

Shirou looked sheepish. "No, when it comes to magecraft I'm not very good. But I'd like to think I make up for it in other areas."

"Eh!" Rin was knocked out of smug mode and right into tsundere. "You don't just go around telling other magi how good you are or aren't at magecraft, idiot! That could get you killed!"

"We both know neither you nor Miyu-chan are going to kill me Tohsaka." Shirou was feeling too drained for this right now. He just wanted to know what kind of mess he'd stumbled into.

Rin glared at Emiya. '_Acting so sure of himself, when he was all but squatting on my property! Damn squatter! I'll squat him if he isn't careful.'_ She challenged his declaration, "What makes you so sure of that?" Shirou just stared at her, not saying anything. Eventually, Rin sputtered and blushed before turning around in a huff. "W…Well anyway, we should head inside."

"Yes," Archer said, speaking for the first time. Her tone was low yet regal and respectful. "It would not do for Shirou-dono to catch his death of cold. Better to head inside where it is warm."

Shirou quirked an eyebrow at the suffix, glimpsing at her stare, remembering the trio's warnings about the female gender but in the end just shaking his head and saying nothing. That was impossible. Choosing instead to lead the way back into his house stopping only briefly to put his shirt and jacket back on (earning a disappointed 'aww' from Miyu when he did, not that he heard it and a 'meep' worthy of the Roadrunner from Rin) and to respectfully return his father's sword to its place at its shrine. He clapped his hands together three times and sent a silent prayer of thanks towards his old man in the afterlife. Shirou then turned towards his waiting guests, all of whom had remained respectfully quiet.

"Alright, now who wants to tell me just what is going on here?"

Everyone, even Saber who knew only a little bit more than her master, turned and looked at Rin.

Seeing the stared the Tohsaka heiress blushed. "Oh fine! Yes let's dump this all on me." She glared at Shirou hard, like a lioness telling her lion partner to be nice to the cubs while she was away. "Let's talk about this over tea Emiya-kun."

"Alright, if you will follow me."

"Allow me Shirou-dono, you have been through enough tonight." Archer bowed subserviently before making her way through the house.

'_Well, I guess the honorific is here to stay I guess,' _Shirou thought as he made his way towards the kitchen to make sure Archer found everything alright... _that _and ensuring she didn't make a mess.

* * *

Pacing worriedly back and forth in the small apartment she'd rented, Bazett Fraga McRemitz, Enforcer for the Mage's Association, frantically waited for her Servant's return. When she found out she had been selected by the Greater Grail to participate in the Holy Grail War, she already knew who she intended to summon.

Cu Chulainn, greatest hero of Irish legend. She had idolized him since she was a little girl, but always hated how tragically he died. Her wish for the Grail, should she be able to attain it, would be to change his fate. She used the earrings she wore, crystal that had runes carved on them by Chulainn himself as a catalyst himself, to summon him…

Only she didn't get Ireland's Son of Light.

Instead, she had summoned someone else. Someone close to him in his legend. His mentor, the Queen of the Land of Shadows and Witch of Dun Scaith, Scáthach. Bazett was a little disappointed to get the master instead of the pupil and she even found the summoning itself to be weird, Scáthach stepping out of a massive black gate instead of materializing in a burst of prana like all previous accounts of Servant summonings went. When she told the Queen of Shadows her wish, she laughed, ruffled her hair, and called her quaint.

"No student of mine would die with regrets in their hearts."

That is what she'd told her and Bazett couldn't wrap her head around it. How could someone who died so young, having killed both his best friend and only son, die with no regrets? Bazett had been pondering that ever since Scáthach had told it to her.

Though her Servant's words still vexed her, that was not why Bazett paced now. She had inadvertently attacked one of her allies. She had jumped the gun so to speak upon seeing the Einzbern Homunculus for this War and didn't think she would be a part of her own faction. Now she had all but alienated herself from her potential allies. '_This is bad, lancer and I could be all alone, an island surrounded by a sea of enemies.'_

Besides that, Bazett thought it prudent to take out a Master before they could summon a Servant. As the Holy Grail, despite summoning three times the usual allotted Servants, only needed seven to die in order to grant a wish. Less Masters meant less Servants which in the end, meant the Grail would be less likely to activate with a dozen or more Servants racing to claim it for themselves.

"Don't be so worried Master." Bazett leapt a foot in the air, turning mid jump to find Scáthach sitting in a chair across the room, lounging in it as if it were a throne, one elbow supporting her face on the arm rest like a bored king giving out orders.

"Don't do that Lancer!" Bazett chided, a crimson haze of embarrassment staining her cheeks. She added meekly, "You scared me."

The Queen of Shadows smirked like a cat and crossed her legs. Bazett's heart jumped a beat at that much sexy lady, a gay man would have such was her beauty. "I see that. Still, don't worry too much about the boy. I feel he's the forgiving sort."

Bazett quirked an eyebrow. "How can you be so sure?"

"One can tell a lot about someone by crossing blades with them." Scáthach's reply was cryptic yet knowing.

Bazett looked away, her gaze facing towards her window wall with gave her a panoramic view of the city sprawling all below her. "I wish I had your confidence Lancer."

"You forget Master, I can see the future," Scáthach said, reminding her fretting contractor.

Bazett sighed in relief pressing her head against the cool glass of the window. "So, it all works out then?"

"Indeed." Scáthach didn't bother to elaborate, as she didn't want all the Enforcer's blood to rush to her face instead of her brain, causing her to faint_. 'She can barely handle me crossing my legs. Best to let her experience it for herself besides it'll be much more fun to watch that way.'_

Bazett would come to hate her Lancer's strange humour.

* * *

"So, let me see if I've got this straight," Shirou's tone was measured after Tohsaka had explained everything to him. Before they had talked though Shirou had made everyone a snack, Miyu spending her time eating the cake as if every morsel was precious. "Every sixty years or so, seven magi and Servant familiars get together for a death battle that so far nobody has won, and put thousands of innocent lives in danger every time?" Shirou leveled a cold gaze at the Second Owner of Fuyuki. Let me ask you something Tohsaka, does your Family care about the people of this City at all?"

Rin jerked as if she had just been slapped. "Wha… what kind of question is that?! It's been my family's job for generations to protect this land and its people from mystical threats!"

"Yet every sixty years or so, your family casts aside their oaths to the safety of the people living in this city to chase after a magical cup!" Shirou retorted, raising his voice an octave.

Rin bristled. The Grail War was her family's legacy, her birthright. She would not have it belittled to be seen as a mere cup. "It is no mere cup Emiya, it can grant any wish to the winner of the Grail War."

Shirou remained unmoved. "But at what cost? Your family are the Second Owners of Fuyuki, that makes you the Lord of these lands and everyone else your serfs. It is your duty to see to their safety. By allowing this Grail War to continue as it has, the Tohsaka family has failed in their duty to protect the people beneath them."

Rin was on the verge of attacking Emiya with a Finn Shot, crush on him be damned. That is, until someone else spoke up.

"I think your being a little unfair to Nee-san, sempai." Miyu began sipping at the tea that had been provided for her before continuing. "It's not Nee-san's fault any of this happened. She was the same age as you the last time a Grail War happened. The War wasn't supposed to start for another fifty years. This surprised everyone, even her. Plus, is it really fair to hold Nee-chan accountable for the actions of her ancestors?"

Shirou sighed. It had been a rough night. "No, I suppose not." He bowed politely to Rin. "I apologize for being a bad host Tohsaka… tonight has been… stressful and I was taking it out on you unnecessarily. I apologize."

Rin looked away. "I guess I can forgive you this time Emiya. You _did _almost die after all. I'll just chalk you disrespecting me like this to blood loss." The Second Owner glared at him like a hawk. "It better not happen again." Rin let out a little sigh. "Though, I will admit a lot of people got hurt in the last War somehow... I don't have much hope of limiting casualties this time around either, not with three times the number of Servants running around." Rin clawed at her scalp. "This is nuts! How are we supposed to stop innocent people from dying much less magecraft from being discovered with this many Servants running around?!"

Miyu patted her adoptive big sister's arm comfortingly. "There, there, nee-san, I'm sure we'll manage somehow."

Seeing Tohsaka fretting about the safety of the citizens of Fuyuki, he saw that she did indeed care. The Yakuza let this scene play out then turned to Miyu. "Thanks for setting me straight Miyu-chan."

She smiled at him warmly as she kept rubbing her sisters back. "Sempai?" Miyu asked when Shirou abruptly got up. "Where are you going?"

"Getting dressed," Shirou replied shortly before making his way to his room. After all, one didn't visit the boss without looking their best. "I have to go out for a bit."

Shirou went to his closet and pulled out a black pinstripe suit. He slipped into a white dress shirt pulled up a pair of black pants, slung a red tie around his neck and slipped on a pair of gleaming black dress shoes. He then went to his bathroom and slicked back his unruly auburn hair with a bit of mousse before tying his tie. To finish his look, he took his old man's coat from out of his closet and threw it on. Shirou looked at himself in the mirror for a moment. He looked presentable enough to visit Riaga-oyabun in an official capacity. He still had a slight horizontal scar just beneath his right eye from where Lancer had nicked him, (it was probably going be hailed as a good thing by his aniki when they saw it) but other than that, he was ready.

Shirou walked back into the living room to his waiting guests who all blinked owlishly at his apparent transformation from humble boy to Yakuza member. A wolf whistle rang out and all eyes turned to Miyu.

"You clean up nice sempai! What's with the getup?"

"Thank you Miyu-chan, as for my attire… well one should look presentable when they go to meet their oyabun."

"So, you really do work for one of the Yakuza around town Emiya-kun?" Rin was surprised to hear this. It was her job to deal with magical threats, so she usually kept her nose out of the more mundane facets of city life. Only magical crimes concerned her.

"I do, I feel morally obligated to inform them that this War is happening early if they don't already know." Shirou headed to the door. "If you could all see yourselves out, I'd appreciate it."

Rin had somehow managed to get in front of him in the time it took for him to turn and face the door. Her arms were outstretched preventing him from getting into the hallway. "Now just hang on one second here! You can't just go telling normal people about the Grail War!"

"Tohsaka, they all but adopted me after my old man died. I owe them this and more. Stand aside."

Shirou's voice was cold like ice. So cold that Rin couldn't hide the slightly hot feeling in her chest that alarmed her. Was she a masochist?

Hearing him talk like that made the Queen of Homurahara look at the school's fake janitor in a new light. "E…Emiya-kun you, you can't tell them right now, not tonight… at the very least not before talking to the moderator of the War?"

Shirou quirked an eyebrow. There was someone in charge after all. "Moderator?"

"Yes Emiya-dono," Archer had spoken up for her Masters sake. "The local priest does… I believe the proper word is damage control?"

Shirou sighed. "In other words, it's his job to sweep messes under the rug." He fixed his gaze on the school idol. "Why shouldn't I go and inform my boss about this mess again?"

"Oi, Master, maybe we should at least hear what this guy has to say first?" Saber suggested lazily.

Shirou glanced at Saber. "I'm no one's Master, Saber."

The pinkette grinned. "You summoned me. Those command seals on your hand make you my Master… though since you're in the Yakuza, I suppose I could call you aniki if you'd like?"

Shirou glanced at his hand. What he thought was an accidental wound were his command seals. Three Mushin symbols circles left open ended, each painted inside the other, were on display on the back of his right hand. smiled a bit at that. He'd never had a kohai in the Yakuza sense before. "Fine then _imouto_." That sounded weird seeing as no women worked for the Yakuza as far as he knew. "You can start by moving Tohsaka so we can leave the house."

"Yes aniki!" Saber singsonged before getting up and picking up the school idol as if she were a sack of grain and setting her beside her Servant. "I think this belongs to you Archer."

"You… you need to register!" Rin yelled at his back.

Shirou paused and turned back to the Second Owner. "Hmm?"

"The war, you need to register at the church… the light of realization lit in her aquamarine eyes. "Also, your people, they can probably seek asylum in the church!"

Shirou placed his hands on his hips and sighed. He had been doing a lot of that tonight. "Hmm… alright, alright I'll go to this church of yours. If something feels off though…"

"I'll come with you to explain things myself tomorrow after school," Rin promised.

"Fair enough, let's get going then."

Miyu asked what everyone else was thinking. "Going sempai?"

Shirou embarrassedly admitted. "I don't know where the church is. Never been there, and it is not a part of my group's territory. I'll need someone to show me the way."

* * *

Shirou kept himself on high alert after they crossed the bridge into the Shion District of Fuyuki. Shion was split between the four families that ran Fuyuki. The Fujimura-gumi had a firm grip on the restaurant district to the East. The Amakichi controlled the hotels to the West, the Oboro controlled the gambling and entertainment areas to the North. Lastly, the Nakamura controlled the harbor, earning their profits from the import and export market.

To get to the church which sat upon its own little hill, they would have to pass through the Oboro territory. '_Meaning the chances are high that we are going to run into that guy.'_

"Sempai," Miyu questioned, "Why are you so nervous?" She glanced at his right hand, the one holding the lethal weapon that had made a little old lady who for some reason was wandering around late run like she was trying to outrun a hungry lion upon seeing it. "Also why did you bring your tou-san's sword with you?"

Shirou glanced down at the katana he had only recently returned to its rightful place at the shrine in his home. "Leaving my home without being armed after what happened earlier tonight would be foolish."

"Aniki is wise," Saber complimented. "A warrior should never leave his home unarmed."

Miyu wasn't so sure but if sempai thought it necessary, she wasn't going to complain.

The group turned the corner onto the main road that would lead to the church when Shirou stopped dead in his tracks. For just down the street lay the home base of the Oboro Yakuza family. It was far from okay as it was burning, swathed in fucking blue-black flames of all things. Shirou blinked first. That wasn't something you saw every day… But after that he didn't think, he didn't need to he ran towards the burning building looking for survivors.

The smoke damaged doors were kicked in as if by a great force or someone had used a battering ram and Shirou grimaced at what he found within what had survived of their compound. Charred corpses lay scattered about, some still burning, flesh blackening from the burns while others had blades stabbed into them, and limbs hacked off, all were beyond saving. There were dozens of them scattered throughout the courtyard alone.

Shirou gripped the sheath of his katana tighter as he bore witness to the carnage, softly quietening his hurried gait, adrenaline dripping away slowly like a loud drum that had been loudly drowning out the memories of the fire that had given birth to him a decade earlier. The drums fell silent and Shirou embraced the past. There was no time like the present.

He walked slowly forward towards the closest body, the past following after him soon after.

"Emiya-kun what are you doing?" Tohsaka asked of him while doing her best to keep Miyu away from the horrific scene.

Placing a hand on one of the corpses that had a blade sticking in its back, Shirou muttered. "Checking something. _**Trace on.**_"

The history of both the weapon plus the victim flowed into him and Shirou couldn't make sense of it. He felt… _Rage_. The tang of it tasted inside his soul like rust on corroded steel, a tang you would never forget because you were never supposed to taste it anyway. It followed with the smell of rancid, unbridled hatred as if he was standing in a room of spoiled meat flowed from both the wielder of the sword and the victim. It was a murderous grudge, a ravenous nigh unstoppable feeling that spread like a virus, infecting the entire Oboro family, causing them to kill each other in a fit of violent passion.

'_That still doesn't explain the fire.'_ Shirou mused. '_Either a master or a Servant was at work here probably… but to what end?' _ That was something Shirou couldn't figure out. He stared at the fire again, those colours forever etched in his memory, reminding him that he was not in the past but in the very real present where consequences existed if he did not solve the mystery. Regret didn't exist here yet. It would if he failed to intervene. He glanced back at Rin, and Saber whose head was darting left and right, as if looking for an enemy to strike down. It was too grim a scene to laugh nor appropriate to but if it was Saber reminded him of a meerkat on the lookout for predators. "Tohsaka, I'm going to have a look inside. Saber, you come with us in case whoever did this is still here."

"I should go with you Emiya-kun," Rin protested.

Shirou cut her off. "No, you need to say here and keep Miyu-chan safe. Like I said, whatever did this… might not be gone. Stay on guard and shout if you need backup."

Rin tried to protest further but bared her teeth in frustration as Shirou walked into the burning complex with Saber at his back. Inside, a once wondrous front room not unlike his own home were littered with more corpses. Men, women, even children and elderly. The rules of modern warfare ignored, none spared by _whatever _did this. Shirou grit his teeth, his knuckles were clenched so hard they were white, his fingernails dug into his palms hard enough to draw blood.

Saber's hand gently landed on his shoulder. "I understand your anger at this senseless slaughter Master. I do not like it either, and the person responsible for it will pay." Saber's tone lacked its usual exuberance. Instead it was cold, mature yet resolute as if having seen this many times but never getting used to it, the one thing that separated her from sociopaths or psychopaths. "But for now, you must bottle up your anger, use it instead of it using you and look over everything with a critical eye lest you miss something that may prove important later on."

Shirou nodded, taking a slow breath of the smoky air, and letting it go. He glanced at his Servant with a grim smile. "Thanks Saber."

Saber didn't smile at the compliment, for this was not the place for it, she did nod in acceptance, however. Master and Servant continued on into the depths of the complex. Past more bodies than anyone had a right to see in a place that was not battlefield, the scent of burning flesh and wood clung in the air, and on more than one occasion, Saber had to cut through a wall so they could continue their advance.

The duo finally made it to the center of the stronghold and came upon a grisly scene. Bodies ripped apart, as if by some animal the weapons of the Oyabun's personal bodyguards were still firmly in their sheaths. Blood stained the tatami mats and the head of the oyabun, his wife, daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren, had been placed in the center of the dinner table like the centerpiece to a meal.

"Whatever happened, it started here and worked its way outward," Shirou stated, taking in the macabre scene without so much as blinking. He had seen much worse when walking through the flames a decade prior… What little there was to remember of that night.

"Emiya..." Shirou's head snapped around till his eyes locked with Kenji 'Kenny the Kaiju' Nemura. He was a mountain of a man of European-Japanese descent with his dark hair usually in an immaculate pompadour, now it was a disheveled mess, and he was missing an arm. The Oboro's head enforcer had cauterized the wound with the strange flames, but they had not ceased burning his flesh.

Shirou was kneeling by his side in moments. "What happened here Nemura-san?"

It was too late though. Nemura died in that moment, his bunched up hand relaxing to reveal a bloody piece of paper. Shirou accepted his final testament and noted it was a series of numbers. Shirou at first didn't understand what these numbers meant. They seemingly looked random until he remembered that it was the man's birthday from the one time he had actually punched the guy and the dude actually was happy that something good was happening on the birthday in question.

So what did these numbers mean? What he meant was how did having this information benefit him? It wasn't long until Mr Stupid in his head was bum rushed by the guy called Eureka. It was the combination to something, a safe maybe? Shirou took the bloody piece of paper and placed it in his pocket and looked around. He bowed to the fallen enforcer and searched the burning room, Saber following suit. It was after a brief search that lady luck said hello and an oil painting fell off the wall after having caught fire to reveal the indentation of a hidden door in the wooden structure. Saber smacked it clean off the wall to reveal of all things an unused panic room.

Had they been hit that _hard_, that _fast _that _nobody _at all in this big house made it to the safety of the room? Saber grimaced, entering first and Shirou sighed. Of course someone had tried, Shirou noted as he entered the plain looking bunker filled with camera equipment, ruined almost beyond repair of course and the grisly remains of a small child clutching an equally dead baby. Shirou looked away in disgust and blindly groped for the controls of a set of video cameras that were wired through the place. He was fortunate that some of it was still salvageable.

It was lucky it was a digital interface and easy to use. He rolled the digital recording back as far it could on the only camera that still worked, the one behind this small panic room and through all the degradation all he had seen was a blur of movement too fast to be human then a lot of dead bodies as if they were puppets that had their wires cut. Shirou frowned and played it back, this time slowing down the footage but again the damn Servant was too fucking fast for the modern surveillance system to keep up.

"Saber," Shirou muttered, "Can you see who or what the fuck that was?"

Saber shook her head regretfully. "Master, the monster was much too fast for even my eyes to follow completely. All I can see is fire and grey. They made the effort to conceal themselves well from anyone even a Servant."

"Fuck," Shirou said, banging a wall that with some luck revealed a safe. He punched in the code that he had been given and inside waiting was not vitally important information but instead a small box. He opened it and found a wedding ring…

The man had died before he could even propose?

"Master?" Saber was even more solemn than before. "You should give those to the man who died holding the key to them."

"Sure," Shirou said, depression marring him deeply. "He gave us what we really needed so let me return the favour."

It was quiet as they left the mansion, first returning the ring to the dead enforcer and leaving, regret echoing through every step.

* * *

Rin was pacing like a tigress in a cage, waiting for Emiya and Saber to return. '_That idiot, rushing into a burning building like that!'_ Rin stomped her foot on the ground petulantly_. 'At least he had enough common sense to take Saber with him. He'd better not have gotten himself killed in there after I went and used my best jewel on him!'_

"Nee-san, relax, will you? I doubt Saber-chan will let anything happen to sempai." Miyu said this, but the look on her face was anything but calm as her eyes were locked on the place the duo entered the burning structure.

Archer chipped in her two yen. "I agree with Miyu-san Master. Shirou-dono is quite capable. It shall take more than flames to do him in."

"Agreed," Assassin chirped. "He handled one of my poisoned knives like it was nothing when he should've died immediately. It was most impressive."

'_Poison resistance magecraft?'_ Rin pondered. '_Emiya said he wasn't very good at magecraft. Yet he was able to withstand a poison that should've immediately stopped his heart also melted his flesh, and he was capable of firing Archer's bow. Maybe he lied?'_ This thought caused Rin to smile happily as that meant he wasn't a complete fool like she first thought.

Rin was brought out of her reverie by a sound of breaking wood coming from the building. A nearby wall was slashed to tinder, and from the newly made exit Saber and Shirou himself emerged, both covered in ash and soot but looking no worse for the wear otherwise. Rin raced up to them as they made it into the courtyard. She wanted to pat Shirou's back as he sputtered from the smoke but her pride, something instilled in her from her father wouldn't let her. She watched with a grimace as Miyu did what she couldn't bring herself to do.

"Are you alright sempai? You were in there a long time." Miyu allowed her emotions to show on her face. Rin envied her adoptive little sister that sometimes. Rin always had to be cool and collected. She was the Second Owner and she had a certain image she needed to uphold.

Shirou smiled at the little pixie who was fretting over him, all wandering hands that wanted to touch but something was holding her back.

"I'm fine Miyu-chan."

Rin noticed his clothes were covered in soot. Tutting, she marched her way up to him and grumbled as she started dusting him off muttering a bit of Finnish to hurry things along. "You can't go visiting the Fake Priest like that Emiya-kun. You need to look at least presentable, not an idiot who ran into an unnatural fire after an unknown threat."

Shirou smiled. The tsun-tsun was translated as 'You worried me jackass!' He was very adept in this strange language. "Thanks again Tohsaka, you always seem to help me out when I need it."

Rin blushed and looked away. Miyu was smirking impishly and Rin looked the opposite direction. There was a conspiracy damn it! "Yes well, someone needs to keep an eye on you Emiya-kun or you'll do something crazy." Saber saw her blush, deciding the stranger was the best of three choices and endured when Saber sent her a knowing wink, causing her to splutter. Once she got her emotions under control she asked, "Did you find any survivors?"

Shirou sighed and shook his head. "No, none. Everyone was dead. Women, children, men… the Servant that did this left no survivors."

Miyu covered her face in shock and Rin grimaced. "How can you be so sure it was a Servant?"

Shirou made his way to the street where the firetrucks and police cars were starting to arrive. "I saw the surveillance tape on one Oyabun's bodyguards didn't even have time to draw their swords before they were cut down by a blur moving too fast for Saber or the cameras to pick up and only a Servant could move that fast. Things just got a lot more complicated."

Rin took the liberty of hypnotizing the common folk allowing them to pass without answering any questions. They made their way up the hill prompting Rin to ask, "What do you mean?"

Shirou stared up at the sky swallowed up by acrid smoke. "This is going to lead to another sort of war…."

* * *

The priest got up from where he had been praying on the floor, the Fake Priest, Kirei Kotomine stared at someone he hadn't seen for sixteen years. Not since he'd dropped her off as a toddler to his late wife's parents, had they even seen each other. It was Kirei's own daughter, his flesh and blood he'd abandoned to find his own purpose in life in the last Holy Grail War.

Her name was Caren.

She hauntingly looked so much like her mother, that for a brief moment, Kirei thought his wife's spirit had come back to haunt him. She had her mother's long silver hair and golden eyes. Those eyes were filled with resentment for him for abandoning her. A normal person would've felt bad for abandoning their child but seeing the anger in her eyes filled Kirei's heart with an uplifting black joy. For he was one who could only take pleasure from the misery of others.

Well that, and mapo tofu.

Caren, garbed in the vestments of the church, clasped her hands together in prayer. "O' Lord, please forgive this wretched soul for being a deadbeat father and help me find the strength in my heart forgive him for abandoning me. If you cannot find the power to forgive him oh Lord I would not be unhappy if you smote him for his sins. Amen."

Kirei was even more amused than before, the rumble of a nearby thundercloud actually making him smirk at the image of God taking a pot shot. '_She may have her mother's looks, but it seems she takes after me in terms of personality… I wonder, does she feel hollow like me? Wondering why the world brought her into existence? Will we have something in common after all?'_

The reunion of father and daughter was interrupted by the sound of the church doors smashing open, the war cry of the girl he'd replaced his own daughter for. He wondered if his daughters would play nice.

"Hey Fake Priest! We need to talk!"

Kirei swept his arms wide in welcome, smiling fakely just to see his daughter twitch. "Why hello there Rin, I was wondering when you would come to see me."

The Second Owner stalked up to her legal guardian. "Cut the crap Fake Priest! You know why I'm here."

"To register for the Grail War of course. Just like this young lady here, I'm assuming." Kirei felt his grin growing, oh it felt _so_ good to sow discord by hand. He would hold back on the introductions just because it would be funny to see if his biological daughter could get angry or if his fostered daughter would go all tsun-tsun. That was always amusing.

Kirei watched as his estranged daughter and ward stared each other down. The one he had a hand in raising with outright hostility and suspicion, and the one he didn't with an angelic smile on her face.

"My, my, what a hostile girl." Caren mused. "May God have mercy on you and soothe the rage in your heart."

"Why you." Rin was just about ready to gandr her into oblivion, (maybe cursing her with syphilis would shut her up?) when someone stepped in and stopped her.

Shirou put a hand on her shoulder. "That's enough Tohsaka. If you kill a nun in a church, you'll be punching a one-way ticket to hell." Shirou spared a glance Caren's way. "Even if said nun has it coming."

"Dear lord, please forgive this heathen for he knows not of your glory and those that do work in your name." Caren prayed.

'_So, you wanna be passive aggressive huh? We'll two can play at that game,' _Shirou thought. Usually, he kept his more caustic side contained to his thoughts, but if this girl insisted, well… "Yo God," Shirou said, deliberately hamming it up for extra pissed off points, "May you help this nun pull the stick out of her ass."

The only sound in the church was the sound of Shirou's three claps as he finished his mockery of a prayer. For a moment dead silence hung in the air of the church as everyone stared at Shirou in amazement, then Saber burst out laughing. She laughed so hard, she was holding her stomach as tears fell from her eyes.

"Aniki," She spoke through gasps, "Did you just out asshole that nun?"

Shirou smirked at Caren's shocked expression. "I don't know what you mean imouto, I was simply sending up an honest prayer for her sake. Mind you, God might find it a challenge to find the right lubricant as that stick is really stuck up there tight."

His answer just made his Servant laugh louder.

Caren, for her part was impressed. Usually, when she poked at people they got upset or angry. She would admit, to herself at least that she enjoyed upsetting people. Never before had someone actually thrown her shtick back in her face before.

Until today that is.

The boy before he was tall for someone of Asian descent, with reddish hair, golden-brown eyes, and a scar on his left cheek. He was well dressed in a suit and tie and he had a sheathed sword in his left hand. Caren found herself curious about this man. She smiled and bowed politely.

"Hello there, my name is Caren Hortensia, and you are?"

They were interrupted for a moment by a chuckling Fake Priest like he'd won a bet or something.

"Shirou Emiya," the Yakuza replied.

Caren rose and committed his name to memory. "Shirou Emiya… I'll remember it."

Shirou then turned to face Kirei, the laughing priest. Laughing was just wrong with that guy like listening to a dying puppy and drawing amusement from it. "I hear you're the guy in charge of this War?"

Kirei nodded. "Indeed, young man, have you come to register or do you require shelter?"

Shirou shook his head. "No, I've come to see a man about a mule. I've heard the sellers name was Jesus, is he around?"

To his credit, Kirei only quirked an eyebrow at his question. "You said your name was Shirou Emiya? Any relation to Kiritsugu Emiya?"

Shirou nodded. "Yeah he was my old man. He also told me to tell you if I ever ran into you to remind you to take the ball gag out of your choir boy's mouth, feed and water him and put ointment on his lash marks. That was just in case you forgot."

Caren had begun to pray again. "Heavenly Father, please forgive your lost sheep Kirei Kotomine for his sins of the flesh, and may he remember to see to the needs of his choir children. Amen." Caren walked past Shirou and his allies but whispered in his ear as she passed, "I'll see you on the battlefield Emiya-san."

With the nun now gone, Shirou took a seat in one of the pews, resting his arms on the back he looked Kotomine right in the eyes. "So, overseer, just what do I need to know?" Before Kirei could even open his mouth to respond, Shirou continued. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about the burning Oboro compound down the hill, would you?"

This was news to Kotomine. Quirking an eyebrow, the overseer asked. "Someone attacked them? This is the first I've heard of it. I'll pray for their souls."

Shirou carried on his gaze fixed on the ceiling of the church. "I just find it very convenient. With the Oboro massacred, a gang war is sure to ensue… meaning you have a ready-made excuse for anything that happens in this Grail War… funny isn't it?" Shirou fixed his gaze on Kotomine.

Kirei smiled a little. "I assure you, I know nothing of the attack on the Oboro Family… however, you aren't wrong that it does make a perfect smokescreen for this Grail War. Thank you for the suggestion young man. As for what you need to know about the War, should your Servant be defeated in battle, you use up all of your Command Seals, or simply no longer wish to participate as a Master, you may come here and seek refuge at the church."

"I see." That was all Shirou said before he stood up and made his way towards the double doors.

"Rejoice Shirou Emiya, for your wish is about to be granted." Kotomine called to his retreating back.

Shirou stopped for just a moment to turn back and glare at Kotomine, who was smiling at him.

'_I really don't like that guy,' _Shirou decided as he left the church grounds.

* * *

Rin was concerned about a lot of different things as she followed behind Emiya. The War, the number of potential casualties, and on top of it all, a potential Yakuza war. All of her thoughts and worries circled back to one person.

'_Emiya-kun what will you do?'_ Tohsaka couldn't help but wonder. Yet she couldn't bring herself to pry into his affairs. Magi just didn't do that with each other. Not unless there was some benefit in it for them of course, and Rin couldn't help but think that Kirei was correct. That a turf war between Yakuza would make a perfect smokescreen for the Grail War. Yet, a small part of herself, the still human part that had been forcibly woken up by Emiya's browbeating earlier, was screaming in protest of just allowing this to happen.

Rin Tohsaka was at a loss. The Magus in her knew she gained nothing from trying to stop this gang war from happening, as it didn't benefit her at all from putting a stop to it, she would actually _lose_ an advantage if she did. The human in her didn't like the needless loss of life this would cause.

'_What should I do? What would Otou-san do?'_ Rin was pulled out of her thoughts when she bumped into Emiya's outstretched arm. Rin gave her head a shake. "Emiya why are you… oh."

Just a few dozen meters in front of them, Caren Hortensia stood smiling serenely. Standing next to her was another nun she had blue-black hair and deep-blue eyes. Shirou took in the handles of her weapons she held between her fingers at a glance and he knew she was no normal woman, but a former vessel of a Dead Apostle Ancestor, and a member of the church's Burial Agency. He also learned her name.

Elesia.

"Hortensia-san do we have to do this right now? I have other business to attend to. I don't have time to entertain you or Elesia-san."

The woman tensed as if she were a hunting hound who just caught a scent on the wind. Glaring at him murderously, addressed Shirou. "How do you know that name?"

Shirou didn't see the harm in answering "Your weapons speak volumes. They tell your story." Shirou let his hand hover over the hilt of his sword. "I'd really rather not do this tonight, Yumi-chan."

Ciel, the seventh member of the Burial Agency clicked her tongue in annoyance. The fact that this… this _boy _could read her so easily when she tried so hard to keep her past hidden and locked away annoyed her to no end. She wanted to turn him into a pincushion on sheer principle of spying. She glanced at her partner Caren, as if asking for permission.

Caren nodded, as if resigning herself to the coming conflict. "If you must. I'm sure the Lord understands."

That was all the answer Ciel needed as she dashed in steel talons sprouting from between her fingertips in the form of the church's Black Keys. A fan of five blades flew towards Shirou and he unsheathed his old man's sword in one smooth motion, shattering the prana created blades the executor flung his way before he charged at her, ignoring the pain that lanced down his back as he created a magic circuit and reinforced himself.

Ciel was mildly surprised. She could fling her Keys at the speed of bullets, yet he was capable of deflecting them with a sword. '_He must be well trained.'_ So, thinking she readied her other handful of Black Keys aiming for his vitals before she let them fly.

Shirou found himself unconsciously grinning. This girl, Elesia, Ciel, Yumi, whatever she chose to call herself, was good. So much so, Shirou found himself using that suicidal sword technique he'd developed during his spars with Taiga for the second time tonight. Shirou willingly left openings in his defense and baited his opponents into attacking them. If he knew where they would strike, he knew where to defend. It was crazy, but it wasn't crazy if it worked, and it _did_ work. Shirou batted aside the rapier-like sword flying towards his face, used his sheath to swat away another three that were aimed at his chest, and the last he caught in his sheath and flung back at Ciel with a swing of his own sword.

'_He's enjoying this.'_ The Executor noticed the smile on his face and the joyful gleam in his eyes. '_I'm trying to kill him and he's having fun.' _Perhaps his smile was infectious, but Ciel found herself smiling too.

Seeing the former immortal smiling as their bout continued caused Shirou to let out a little laugh even as he evaded being skewered by a trio of swords.

"If you don't keep focused, you'll die." Ciel playfully admonished.

"Only if you manage to hit me." Shirou shot back as he closed in on her. He had her measure now. She was good… but she was no Taiga Fujimura.

"Tch." Ciel felt insulted, but met him halfway, her Black Keys like the adamantium coated claws of a certain Marvel comic hero as they clashed with the sword her opponent held.

As she watched the two clash, Caren felt the condition she inherited from her mother begin to act up. Masochistic Pneumatic Automatism Diathesis; or the ability for her body to detect those who have been possessed via reflecting their own symptoms upon herself, began to manifest. Horrid pain lanced through her body, and Caren pulled up the sleeve of her coat, to see black lines, like that of a tattoo inking itself on her snow-white skin. On top of that, something was forcing itself out of her flesh, causing her to bleed…

Pulling one of the many objects out of her flesh, Caren held it up to eye level and noted that it looked to be a razor blade. The demon detector fixed her gaze upon the one fighting Ciel.

'_Just who are you, Shirou Emiya?' _Seeing the Servants ready to jump in at any second, Caren decided to level the playing field. "Go forth in the name of the Lord and conquer, Berserker."

Maddening bloodlust filled the air to the point Shirou choked, stumbling, and just barely dodging a Black Key aimed at his head. Even Ciel turned her head in annoyance as the Raging Titan manifested, drawing upon her magic circuits as it did so.

He was tall, almost twelve foot, with a bald headed and bronze skinned with golden eyes full of wrath. In either hand he held ornate golden axes, which were on fire due to the braziers on the back, and the Servant was bedecked in finery. Golden torcs held chains, priceless gold links that ran through armbands, and even rings lined his muscular frame while a swath of regal purple cloth covered his lower half. The Servant's lips peeled back, revealing gold plated teeth as he let loose a battle cry in the form of a person's name before he charged, the pressure of a mere footstep shattering the stone beneath his feet.

Shirou summed it all up in his head stupidly as the most gaudy man he had ever seen despite his intense apprehension at being jumped by a fucking man made of gold.

"ISKANDAAR!"

Shirou's gaze fixed upon the flaming axes for through them and instantly he knew the history of their bearer. The last king of the Persian Empire before it fell to Iskandar the Great, the man who stood like a wall, a great adversary to the King of Conquerors, whose armies clashed many times over his reigned and whose soldiers would be lauded as in the future as invincible and the immortal ten thousand.

His name was Darius III… and he was charging right for Shirou.

The redheaded magus didn't have time to get out of the way so he did the only thing he could and readied himself for combat. The first flaming axe blade came down and Shirou hopped to the side at the last possible second, avoiding death by a hair's margin. Scurrying like a mouse up an elephant's trunk, Shirou soon found himself atop the Servant's shoulders as he tried to buck him off, all the while screaming out the name of his hated foe like a battlecry. In response to the bloody hate filled noise, Shirou, wrapping his legs around the Berserker's neck with both hands and after firmly gripping his old man's sword plunged it diagonally through the Berserker's neck.

He waited for a moment, blood sprayed out from both ends of the wound then viciously Shirou tore his weapon away, moments before he was flung from his precarious perch due to Berserker's bucking like a dying bull at a bullfight.

"Aniki!" Shirou fell into the waiting arms of Saber who spirited him away to the relative safety of the other Masters. Setting him down, Saber chided, "That was stupidly dangerous Aniki…" Saber then smiled a bit, "But it was also pretty cool." Saber turned and faced Berserker who was swatting Archer's flaming arrows out of the sky like so many annoying fireflies, before nodding resolutely. Turning her head, she gave Shirou a little smirk. "Watch your imouto in action Aniki!"

Saber drew two of her katana and bounded into the fray with the grace of a gazelle. The moment she did Shirou knew the name of his Servant. She was Japan's sword saint, writer of the Go Rin no Sho, the Book of Five Rings, and a swordswoman who never lost a battle in her lifetime.

Her name was Miyamoto Musashi and she was supposed to be a guy... She entered battle with a smile on her face, the thrum and flow of the battlefield like a familiar melody. It ebbed, flowed, and would reach a crescendo, with any luck, herself and her allies would be the victors. Saber dashed in-between volleys of flaming arrows swiping at Berserker's legs hoping to cripple him while he was off-guard. It was not to be as mad though Berserker may have been, his battle sense was impeccable. His right golden axe head coming down to block her swing at his kneecaps. Saber was forced to retreat, least her kimono be set ablaze from the magical inferno being emitted by the brazier-axes.

"Archer!" Saber called out, "Your arrows are useless!"

"Shit… I'm open to suggestions Saber!" Archer retorted.

Saber just barely deflected an axe stroke aimed at her head, the strength this behemoth brought to bear was prodigious indeed. "Yes, join me in melee. You have a katana and naginata don't you?"

Archer glanced to her Master who nodded. "Go Archer, your bow isn't doing anything."

Archer smiled. "Yes Master." Drawing her katana and naginata, both igniting with demonic flames, Archer blitzed into battle meeting Berserker's strength with her own. The two Servants were locked in a test of Strength, allowing Saber to sneak up behind him and deliver a lethal stab to his back…

Or that was the plan anyway. Saber did not expect the girl her Aniki was fighting to intervene, brace of blades in both hands. Saber was surprised but she admired the girl's tenacity. Quirking an eyebrow, she couldn't help but question. "Do you really want to take me on? Surely you know you stand no chance?"

Ciel nodded. "In killing you? Yes, I stand no chance… However, I don't need to kill you."

Musashi found herself liking this girl. "That's true. If you delay me long enough, Berserker will likely win. Which means…" Saber saw the path to victory and made it a reality with her Empyrean Eyes. "That I need to finish this quickly." She charged in, one blade held high, while the other was swooping in from down below. Saber was prepared to cleave clean through her weapons from any angle to cut the girl in front of her down…

A sword and sheath flashed out from the side, blocking her two-pronged attack. She did not expect her Aniki to get in her way. Saber stared at him in surprise for a moment. He just smiled. "Sorry Saber, but this is my fight."

Saber gave a mirthless chuckle. "Is that how it is? I see. Sorry for being rude Master." Saber looked past Shiro to the priestess who looked confused. "Another time perhaps?"

Ciel gave a silent but curt nod.

Shirou turned to face his confused opponent. "Now, where were we?"

With that concluded the Servant of the Sword flipped over the two humans and rejoined the melee. Archer despite being of the Archer Class, was holding her own, having taken the fight to the nearby graveyard. The heat coming off of her swings scorching and in some cases outright melting the nearby headstones. Archer's naginata swept wide, keeping Berserker at bay while she poked and prodded at his defenses with her katana. Saber was impressed at how Archer managed to lure their behemoth of an enemy into a confined space, using his bulk against him and then hary him with her weaponry.

"Saber, if you could keep him busy for a couple of minutes, I think I could best him."

Saber looked into her comrades' eyes and saw confidence there. She gave a nod and a grin. "Leave it to me. He may be faster and stronger than me, but since when do I fight fair?"

"I'll leave it to you then." Archer leaped back, and Saber quickly took her place before Berserker could charge after her.

Saber stuck her tongue out at Berserker. "Sorry, but I've tagged in."

"ISKAANDAR!" Berserker screamed in fury, raising both of his axes over his head in fury before bringing them down to smash Saber into paste.

Saber flipped over his blatantly over extended strike, striking him in the shoulder and kicking off his back causing him to stumble ever so slightly. "Sorry, no Iskandar here, just little old me. I hope I'll suffice for a dancing partner? Or do you only go for men?"

"GRAA!" Berserker screamed in rage, not even grunting in pain when a trio of dirks found new homes in his left leg, while the poison that coated them couldn't kill him they did hamper his speed somewhat.

"Thanks for the assist Assassin-chan!" Saber called out.

Assassin who was looming on a tree branch smiled. "Just doing my part Saber."

Now that she could keep up with him, Saber found the skirmish to be much easier. She bobbed and wove between his strikes and delivered narrow cuts to his gold laden torso that let rivulets of blood stream down his chest. Try as she might, Saber couldn't take his head so she had to make do with superficial wounds, hoping she could waylay him long enough for Archer to ready herself.

Ciel couldn't help but stare at Shirou. His Servant had her dead to rights, she knew it, and he must have too. Yet, the strange Master intervened on her behalf.

'_Why?'_ That was the question ringing around in her head. She wanted to ask, but at the same time, she didn't.

As if he could read her thoughts, Shirou addressed her. "Do you have something on your mind Elisa-san?"

Hearing that name, the name she had forsaken when Roa took her and used her as his new body snapped Ciel back to the present. She glowered at her 'savior'. That name was not allowed! It was a relic of a time very much so past!

"My name," she said, gritting her teeth, "Is Ciel."

Shirou accepted that as if it was the gospel truth. Somehow, this easy acceptance still irked her. It was a confusing ambivalent feeling.

"Alright then _Ciel-san_. Do you have something on your mind?"

Gritting her teeth further that some would be amazed it hadn't caught fire in her mouth, the Executor ground out, "Just wondering how you know that name."

Shirou gave her a look that said, '_you are kidding right?'_. "I already told you that your weapons told your story."

Ciel threw some of her few remaining Black Keys at the infuriating boy. "That doesn't tell me anything!"

As before, Shirou's sword sliced through them like a hot knife through butter. "I don't know what you want me to say."

"The _truth_!"

"I am telling you _the _truth." Shirou had yet to lose his temper while Ciel was at the end of her rope.

The magus' words caused the executor to pause. '_Could he really tell my history from my weapons? Does he have a Mystic Eye perhaps?' _Ciel didn't dare ask outright. He was her enemy, and a magi. Magi were conniving little cowards who hid behind their power, wealth and their ability to be utter cunts, using blackmail and other horrible methods to further their goals to locate Akasha. He would lie on principle. Yet… a part of her argued he'd been forthright with her so far. She decided to go for it despite her head telling her otherwise. "Do you have a set of Mystic Eyes that let you read the history of objects?"

Shirou was flummoxed. His face squirmed like someone who had been asked a very difficult maths question and barely understood the question never mind coming up with a solution.

"What are Mystic Eyes?"

Ciel chuckled. "Well that answers that… why did you save me from your Servant?"

"You would've died if I hadn't." Shirou's response was swift and his shrug derailed the tension that no matter what Ciel tried wasn't building. This man was frustrating to say the least.

"I'm your enemy," Ciel pointed out.

Shirou acknowledged that fact with a bob of his head. "True but I have no desire to kill you."

"Even if it would bring a swift end to this conflict?" Ciel inquired.

"Even so," Shirou admitted. "When I look at you, I don't see an evil person who needs to be cut down. If that was the case, I'd have let Saber finish things. No, instead, I see someone who has been hurt and needs help. I can't help you if you're dead."

Ciel was a bit irked at being thought of as a damsel in distress but she understood where he was coming from if he could truly read her history. The Executor gave him a melancholy smile. "I see… but if you want to help me, you'll have to defeat me first."

Shirou readied his katana. "I figured as such."

Ciel had only a fistful of Black Keys left. She prepared herself for a charge, Shirou doing much the same. A rustle of wind through sleeping tree limbs was all the signal the two needed to charge each other down. The moment she was close enough Shirou threw his sheath up into the air both distracting and surprising Ciel. With his left hand now free he formed it into a fist and swung it at a right angle, hitting the Executor on the back of the head, catching her off balance. Shirou wasn't done though, he tucked his arm in, leading into an elbow strike to her chin, before using his momentum to spin around her and release a punishing strike between her shoulder blades.

Ciel fell to her knees and coughed up blood. For just a brief moment she felt her heart stop from the blow to her back. Then it started to beat again as her vision came back to her and she felt the keen edge of her opponent's katana at her throat. She looked up at him knowing it was her loss, and that she'd fallen for the oldest trick in the book. When she looked into his eyes she didn't see smugness or arrogance, just relief.

That he survived or that he won, to Ciel it was the only question she wanted to know but didn't know in herself what the answer was… A tiny part of her questioned herself for the first time in a long, long time.

"Looks like its my win Ciel-san… for a moment there, I thought I'd overdone it and killed you. I'm glad to see that wasn't the case though."

'_Ah, so that was it.'_ Ciel thought '_He really doesn't want to kill me.' _She opened her mouth to speak only for a dark red bolt of cloth to wrap around her conqueror, rendering him immobile. '_The Shroud of Magdalene.'_ Ciel looked over to see her partner, Caren, holding the other end of the cloth.

"Ciel-sempai are you alright?" Caren sounded concerned but her golden eyes gleamed in amusement, showing she actually enjoyed her misfortune.

The Executor found herself annoyed that Caren took it upon herself to interfere in her fight even though she'd clearly already lost. Ciel spat out some blood that lingered in her mouth.

"I'm fine."

Caren nodded before fixing her gaze on Shirou who kept staring at the Holy Shroud. "It's quite something isn't it? The burial shroud of Mary Magdalene herself turned into a conceptual weapon that binds men, making them incapable of harming, nor being harmed."

"Quite impressive Hortensia-san." Shirou meant that. He'd never seen a Holy Shroud before much less been captured in one. Along with participating in a Grail War, this night was full of new experiences for him. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to let me go?"

Caren pretended to think about it. "No, I don't think so Emiya-san."

Shirou played his ace in the hole. "Even if I told you I had to go to the bathroom?"

"You had better hold it in," the nun retorted flatly, her golden eyes narrowed dangerously.

Ciel looked between the two before her eyes settled on Shirou. "Emiya? Your surname is Emiya? Any relation to Kiritsugu Emiya?"

Tonight, it seemed was full of surprises for Shirou. "How do you know my old man?"

How could Ciel _not _know the name of the infamous Magus Killer? He was a legendary killer of magi and Dead Apostle alike, a man who acted more like a machine, one who coldly calculated the risks involved to take out his targets, as if weighing the lives of those involved on some sort of scale, one that only he could perceive. Just thinking of that man caused even the hardened Executor to shiver. Now here was his son, seemingly oblivious to his father's deeds and reputation.

'_Ignorance is truly bliss,' _Ciel thought to herself bitterly. She could likely shatter this boy's worldview with but a few words. But did she dare? Worse could she find the heart to do it either?

Someone else took the decision out of her hands. "My, my, are you truly the son of that man? I had no idea the two of you were related. I thought it was just a coincidence."

Shirou's head shot to Caren who seemed amused. "You know my old man too Hortensia-san?"

"Only by reputation, but what a reputation the Magus Killer had," Caren said airily.

"Magus Killer?" Shirou tested the words in his mouth. It didn't sound very heroic to him.

"Oh yes indeed. Your otou-san was a prolific mercenary. He would kill dangerous magi and vampires and he didn't care who got in his way. Hundreds of innocent people died because of him. Why, I recall one instance of him blowing up an entire airliner with all of its passengers just to bring down a single vampire."

"Caren, that's enough," Ciel said coldly.

Shirou's face became blank much to Caren's annoyance. She had hoped to see some measure of pain on his face upon learning the truth of his father. Not that she wanted to hurt Shirou of course. She just couldn't let him live in ignorance like that. She believed one must face the truth head on, no matter how ugly it might be. In her mind, she was being helpful, like ripping off a band aid.

It seems Shirou agreed, for he opened his golden-brown eyes and smiled at her. "Thanks Hortensia-san. I may not agree with everything my old man did, but I didn't know that man. The man I knew was a different person entirely. He was tired, but warm, and kind."

Caren nodded. She understood. Shirou didn't grow up with Kiritsugu Emiya, the Magus Killer. Instead he grew up with Kiritsugu Emiya the father. The demon detector felt a tinge of jealousy in her chest. That was more than she ever got. Yet it went as quickly as it came. Her father from their first meeting in over a decade, was not a kind man. She could tell that much. Likely the only kind thing he ever did for her was leaving her with her grandparents.

A tower of flame caught her eye and Caren led Shirou like a dog on a leash to the edge of the hill overlooking the church cemetery. There, they beheld a clash of titans known as Servants.

Saber was holding her own against Berserker whose speed was slowed due to the dirks in his leg. His attacks were so predictable with no form or grace to them at all, just pure brutish power that Saber had little trouble avoiding them. She would flip behind headstones, in-between Berserker's legs and even scurried up a cherry blossom tree like a cat at one point, all the while leading the Servant of Madness around by his nose.

"Archer, not that I'm not having fun, but are you almost ready?"

An aura of flames had surrounded Archer of Yellow, her hair had turned an even brighter shade of pink, as her teeth, and nails sharpened to fine points. She opened her eyes from where she had been previously in a trance-like state, to reveal they were a bloody crimson red and silted. The horns on her brow were now bathed crimson red as if they had been dipped in human blood.

Archer dashed forward flames trailing off her like the tail end of a comet, before she sucker-punched Berserker in the jaw with a rising uppercut, sending him flying. Saber was awed at the feat of strength.

"Archer that was amazing!... Archer?" Saber was concerned when all Archer did was stand there huffing as if she'd ran a marathon.

When Saber reached out towards her comrade in arms, Archer turned and glared at her in near animalistic fury, her now pointed teeth bared as if she wanted to gnaw her arm off.

"Don't!"

It was a one worded warning but it rang out with the promise of a billion deaths if Saber laid her hands on her right now. Saber wisely chose to back away and Archer, katana and naginata in hand, leapt after Berserker. Saber couldn't help but compare the scene to that of a hawk diving after a snake. Archer swooping down from the heavens wreathed in flames and fury, while Berserker reared back prepared to meet her head on.

The two Servants met in an explosion of flame, sending a torrent of fire flying into the night sky. They didn't lock weapons this time however, for now Archer was clearly superior to Berserker batting away his axes aside like they were toys wielded by a child. Fighting with the full ferocity of her demonic heritage. Berserker was soon covered in deep cuts and gouges were torn out of his flesh, yet he carried on regardless. Heedless of his wounds. The two, bathed in an inferno, fought like demons out of hell, but one was clearly superior to the other.

"Die… Die… Die, die… DIE! DIE! FUCKING DIE YOU GODDAMN DAMAGE SPONGE!" Archer screamed to the heavens as her flame infused weapons failed yet again to kill her opponent. A cross slash sent Berserker flying back blood seeping from his chest.

Berserker lowered his head looking at the wound, only for his body to surge with mana. "**Athanaton Ten Thousand!"**

There was a brilliant flash of light which blinded everyone. When it cleared they were no longer standing in the church's graveyard. Instead, they stood in the middle of a desert, white sand stretching as far as the eye could see, with black thunderclouds looming overhead. Archer, Saber, Assassin and their masters gasped in awe for in front of them was an army of ten thousand undead skeletons. Garbed in purple cloth and bronze armor, wielding every ancient implement of war imaginable, their empty eye sockets burning with ethereal purple fire. This was the immortal invincible army of Darius III manifesting to support their ligege in his never ending war once more.

Towering over the hoard, was a massive undead elephant, a mass of undead black flesh. Its trunk was barbed with bronze spikes and spears jutting out at random angles from its body. Berserker sat atop this massive steed, along with Caren, Ciel and the still captive Shirou.

Seeing the army splayed out below him, Shirou just couldn't help himself. He started humming the chorus to '_Undead'_ by Hollywood Undead, earning him looks by his captors. "Sorry couldn't resist. In any case, this is where I say goodbye to you both."

Without further ado, Shirou jumped off the side of the undead pachyderm, the Shroud of Magdalene unraveling as he fell causing him to spin and gain momentum. As he fell, Shirou picked out his target, a mounted skeleton on what looked to be an emaciated unicorn.

'_Here goes nothing,'_ Shirou thought. Using his built-up momentum, Shirou sliced clean through the neck of the rider and kicked him off his mount all in one smooth motion. Mounting the beast bareback, Shirou grabbed its wispy white mane and kicked its ribs with his feet, shouting, "Heeya!"

The phantom horse whinnied and reared before taking off like a shot, Shirou holding on with one hand and his knees, while taking swings at the enemy with his sword. Meanwhile he was lopping off the head of anyone who stood in the way of him and his pilfered mount.

Ciel and Caren watch the scene with interest. The Executor was the first to comment. "He's insane, isn't he? He would have to be to actually try and pull off such a maneuver in the air in the first place, but to actually succeed? Something about him is… off."

Caren silently agreed with her sempai's assessment of their former prisoner. She would have to clean that shroud later. "Shirou-san has a peculiar way of thinking for a human being. One could almost call it alien to a normal person's common sense."

Ciel grimaced at that. For she knew what Caren was hinting at. "Is he possessed?"

Caren shook her head. "I don't believe so. At least not in the traditional sense."

Ciel watched as Shirou finished cutting a path back to his allies. "Shouldn't we have had Berserker stop him?"

Caren shrugged. "Why bother? We have their Servants totally outnumbered. Unless they have Anti-Army Noble Phantasms, this is our victory. We have them all dead to rights." Caren smiled as she finished stating what seemed like certain facts with no question of their accuracy.

Ciel couldn't help but agree. Unless a miracle happened, the participation of those three in this war ended here and now.

"Excuse me, but I would like to parlay on the behalf of my faction."

The two members of the church turned to find a flaxen-haired maiden, her long golden tresses tied in a long braid and her buxom form covered in gleaming steel armor, and black cloth. In one hand, she held a long white standard, tipped with a spearhead, the golden Fleur de Lys fluttering behind her on a white field. Her sapphire blue eyes were currently hard, and she bore a serious expression.

The two members of the faith knew who she was on sight. There was no way either of them could not recognize the Maiden of Orleans, Jeanne d'Arc.

Caren bowed in respect to the Saintess. "So, you are the chosen Commander of the Yellow Faction I take it, Saint Jeanne?"

Unused to such respect, Jeanne didn't know how to respond. She decided to stay formal. "I am. I have come to parlay."

"Isn't that just our luck sempai? The enemy gets a Saintess, while we, the faithful, get stuck with a heathen as our general." Caren said, cheerfully bemoaning their misfortune.

"Hmm..." Ciel hadn't taken her eyes off the Saintess since she arrived, her body tensed for a fight. She may work for the church, but she had no faith to speak of, all she saw in front of her was another enemy.

Caren smiled serenely. "So, you wish to bargain for the safety of your faction? Alright, I'll bite but what do you bring to the table Saint Jeanne?"

"Command Spells." Those two words immediately had the two's attention. "My unique class designation gives me extra command Seals that I may distribute as I see fit. If you call off your Berserker and leave. I will not only reimburse you for the Command Seal you lost but I am willing to grant you an extra one as thanks for showing mercy."

Ciel narrowed her eyes. "How do we know you'll keep your word after Caren calls off Berserker?"

Jeanne could not begrudge the woman her skepticism. She was a fellow enemy combatant in this Grail War after all. "I swear an oath on the Lord, I shall uphold my end of our bargain."

"That's good enough for me." Caren raised her left hand, revealing her Command Seal that took the form of a crude elephant. "By the power of my Command Seal, I order you to withdraw Berserker."

"GRAAA! ISKANDAR!" Berserker screamed in rage, but complied, his Reality Marble fading away in a flash of light.

The battlefield had returned to that of the mostly ruined Western cemetery near the church. The Yellow Faction Masters and their Servants looked around in confusion. Their enemy had them dead to rights just moments ago, why would they pull back when they had victory in their grasp?

Shirou, who was still mounted on the unicorn was the first to notice the new arrival due to his vantage point atop his steed. "Who is that?"

"I… I have no idea Emiya." Rin was at a loss. "I think she might've saved us though."

Jeanne paid her clueless troops no mind for a moment. Instead she laid a hand above Caren's which was now missing a Command Seal. The demon detectors wrist glowed for a moment, then her Command Seal in the form of an elephant regained the tusk that was missing and her crude elephant symbol gained a tail. Caren admired her four command seals for a moment before curtsying to the Saint. "It was an honor to meet you, Maiden of Orleans. Come sempai, we are done for tonight."

Ciel looked Jeanne for a moment saying nothing, before turning to look at Shirou. "Emiya… I'll… I'll see you around. Don't think you'll be able to beat me so easily next time." With her warning delivered, Ciel turned her back to the group and followed Caren off into the night.

"Not that this isn't great for us and all, but would someone like to explain what just happened? I for one was ready to go down in a blaze of glory and take as many of those undead bastards with me as I could." Saber managed to sound both relieved she wasn't dead and disappointed she didn't get to fight an undead hoard at the same time.

Jeanne approached the group, stopping several feet away lest the view her as a threat. "That would be my doing. Greetings Servants and Masters of the Yellow Faction, I am Ruler of Yellow, Commander of the Yellow Faction as appointed by the Holy Grail."

Everyone blinked at the announcement. Rin was the first to gather her wits. "Commander of the Yellow Faction? As in you're the one in charge?"

Jeanne smiled warmly. "Something like that. I would explain more, but this is not something that should be talked about in the middle of the street. Is there perhaps somewhere private we could continue this discussion?"

Everyone turned and looked to Shirou who was still mounted on the undead unicorn, the phantasmal beast somehow staying behind when Berserker and his masters had already fled the scene. Seeing all the gazes being sent his way Shirou sighed in defeat. "We can all head back to my house… but what the hell am I going to do with Coal here?" Shirou affectionately patted the Phantasmal Beast's neck, causing said beast to huff in contentment.

Rin quirked an eyebrow. "Coal? You named it already Emiya-kun?"

Shirou shrugged. "He must've stayed around for a reason. Maybe he likes me?" Coal huffed again and shook his head up and down, as if agreeing with Shirou's assessment of the situation. He smiled. "See?"

Rin would not facepalm, not in front of Emiya and her little sister. "Let's just get to your house Emiya…" She took a deep breath and proved that she had not watched My Little Pony as a small child. "... And bring the unicorn!"

"C'mon Coal." Shirou nudged his undead unicorn into a steady trot down the road.

* * *

Taking a moment to stable Coal behind his shed, Shirou let everyone back into his house and proceeded to make tea as everyone else made themselves comfortable. Assuming Shirou could hear everything from the kitchen, Rin began her grilling of this unknown variable. Putting on her sweetest fake smile, the inquisition began.

"So, Ruler, what's this about you being the person in charge?"

"I would like to wait for our host if it is all the same to you," Ruler said, easily deflecting her question.

Rin frowned but sullenly nodded. Shirou returned with tea and snacks not too long after. Only once he'd served everyone, and Ruler took a long draught of her tea did she deign to speak.

"This Grail War is far from normal. Instead of the usual seven Servant-Master pairs, there are twenty-one Servant Master pairs. These pairs are split evenly into three factions. Red, Blue, and Yellow. Each Faction is lead by one of the Extra Classes, of which I am one. The Ruler Class. I am sure you are all wondering why each faction has its own leader correct?" Seeing the various nods she was getting, Ruler elaborated. "Usually, whatever Servant-Master pair survives the War is able to claim the Grail with Servant being able to interact directly with the Lesser Grail due to possessing a Spiritual Body… However, that is no longer the case."

"What?" Rin's tone was dead flat.

Ruler nodded. "It is so, only the Leaders of each Faction are able to directly interact with the Grail. This right has been revoked from every other Servant. Should I or any other Faction leader fall in battle, then that Faction's chances of winning the Grail War are lost."

"What's stopping those who have lost their leader from joining another faction?" Shirou couldn't help but ask.

Ruler gave a wan smile. "Absolutely nothing. There is nothing stopping former factions from allying with one another. Additionally, each Faction leader comes with benefits for their group."

Rin perked up. "Benefits?"

"Yes. I for example can tell the True Name of any Servant I come in contact with. Of course this is in addition to coming with extra Command Seals."

You could almost hear the 'cha-ching' go off as stars gathered in Rin's eyes. "How many extra Command Seals are we talking about here?"

"Currently I possess thirty-eight command seals. I used two as bargaining chips to get you out of your predicament earlier and one Master has yet to summon their servant, upon which I will get two more."

Rin was grinning like a cat. "Sixty-three Command Spells divided between the eight of us? This War is in the bag."

Ruler was quick to burst Rin's bubble. "Don't be too sure of that. We have yet to gather all of our faction members and the others also have their own leaders which come with their own benefits I'm sure."

Rin glowered, but nodded. It was far, far too early to be celebrating especially since they'd almost all died not half an hour ago to a single Servant. "What do you suggest then?"

Ruler took another long sip of her tea, it was quite good, and it gave her a moment to collect her thoughts. "Firstly, we must gather the rest of our allies. Once we do so, we can discuss our next course of action."

"You can stay here for the duration of the War, Ruler-san," Shirou said. Ruler raised an eyebrow at Shirou who had made a polite offer and turned his home into ground zero. "I have plenty of rooms available."

Ruler sent her host a serene smile. "Thank you… ah, I've not asked any of your names have I? My apologies."

Ruler bowed politely. The saint in her made Miyu fidget from just how shiny the woman appeared to be.

Shirou waved her off. "It's fine, its fine. I'm Shirou Emiya, this is Rin Tohsaka, and this is her little sister Miyu Sakatsuki."

Ruler smiled as she was introduced to her troops. "Nice to meet you all. Emiya-san, it seems I will be in your care for the foreseeable future."

Shirou rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Just Shirou is fine. No need to be so formal Ruler, or do you prefer Jeanne?"

Ruler was thrown for a loop. "You recognize me too? I could expect that from members of the church I suppose, but I'm surprised you could tell who I was on sight."

Rin waved her arms around in confusion. "Wait, your Jeanne, as in Jeanne d'Arc?" When Ruler nodded Rin slumped down, "Wow, I'm being led in the Grail War by a bona fide Saint of the church."

It was safe to say that the church and the Mage association did not get along...

Ruler gave an embarrassed smile. "I only did as God commanded, nothing more or less." She focused her gaze back onto her host. "How did you recognize me Shirou-san?"

Shirou, rubbed the back of his head again, something Ruler noted he did when embarrassed. "I… this is going to sound crazy…"

Rin's retort was deadpan flat. "Emiya-kun, we are in a three-way battle royale with ghosts from throughout history over a mythical cup. Anything you have to say will sound pretty normal compared to this."

Shirou bit the bullet and elaborated. "Ok, I don't really know how, but I can see the history of the weapons people are holding. When I looked at your standard I saw its history… your history. Same with Berserker from earlier, and Lancer before that." Shirou looked over at his own Servant. "Same goes for you Saber."

Saber blinked in surprised and pointed at herself. "Me? So, you know who I am then?"

"Yeah your…"

Rin cut him off. "Emiya-kun, I think you should keep the name of your Servant a secret."

Shirou quirked an eyebrow. "Why? We're all allies here, right?"

Rin gave a stiff nod. "Yes, we are… _for now_. However, what happens when the other teams are eliminated? We may have to fight each other since only one of us can get a wish and once a Servant's name is known, so are their weaknesses."

"But Tohsaka, I already know the names of both Archer and Assassin. I've seen their weapons remember?" Shirou was quick to point out he had seen, hell he had handled both Archer's bow and one of Assassin's dirks.

Rin made as noise as if she was choking, prompting Archer to pat her on the back. "There, there Master. I doubt Shirou-dono means any harm to us." Archer then bowed to Shirou, I'm sorry you had to see me like that earlier Shirou-dono, I do not like having to utilize my oni nature, but I had no choice."

Shirou still had no idea what he did to be called lord by Tomoe Gozen of all people but he figured he should just roll with it at this point. "Don't worry about it, Archer."

"Please, call me Tomoe when we are not in the battlefield Shirou-dono," the Servant of the bow politely requested.

The redheaded magus saw no reason to deny the request. "_Tomoe-san_ then."

"Archer!" Rin said with a raised voice, protesting her Servant revealing her true name. It was against etiquette to just reveal your name without… She shook her head at her 'Magus' head showing. "Just do what you want."

Miyu who had stayed quiet all this time, merely absorbing all the information that had been given by Ruler, felt her Servants eyes on her. "Do you want to introduce yourself as well Assassin?"

Assassin nodded, removing her skull mask and revealing the beautiful face she hid underneath. "I would, but I have no name to give. I was simply known as Hassan-I-Sabbah, or by my epitaph, the Hassan of Serenity."

"Would it be alright if we just called you Serenity then?" Shirou proposed. "I think it's a cute name for a girl like you."

Assassin stiffened almost imperceptibly but Miyu being so close to her caught it. '_Is Assassin… blushing?' _Miyu couldn't be certain, but she thought there was a slight haze on her servant's cheeks. She felt a small stabbing pain in her chest that she couldn't identitfy at the thought of someone being interested in her sempai.

Was this jealousy? She stared at 'Serenity's' bust unconsciously and compared it to her own more modest figure… That pain in her heart stung again… A maiden's heart was a very delicate thing and Miyu was too innocent to understand that for the first time she understood what a rival was.

It throbbed like Jason Voorhees stabbing someone in the chest over and over when it took the rather beautiful Servant of Murder a moment to collect herself and reply.

"That would be fine, thank you."

Shirou was confused. All he had done was save himself a mouthful every time he addressed the woman. "For what?"

Serenity gave Shirou a warm, heart melting smile. Miyu twitched. Becoming a woman was a very arduous time and this was one of Miyu's trials of womanhood. Not to slap a bitch for going after her man… Where had that come from? Miyu was going to have to consult her magazines on love again for reference.

"Giving me a name. It's much nicer than just going by Hassan-I-Sabbah."

"You're welcome?" Shirou honestly didn't feel like he did all that much. Miyu's unexplainable pout of cuteness was more concerning though. Was he going to be tackled again? Speaking of siblings, Rin's eyebrow was doing the hula dance for some reason.

Miyu coughed though it did not banish the pout, promising a glomp to end all glomps. This glomp would destroy the heav… No it would reinforce her _claim… _Wait why was she claiming sempai? '_Mouuu… Miyu is confused'._ "It's getting quite late sempai, and we all have school tomorrow. We should really be going."

Wow, she had really covered herself there. Sempai had to have been wondering why she was mad at him. The truth?

Shirou was wanting to buy her a teddy bear and ask her what was wrong.

Startled out of his plan to make it up for whatever reason it was to Miyu, Shirou looked at the clock. It was almost midnight! Little girls needed their sleep! "You're right Miyu-chan. I'll see you both tomorrow at school."

Rin got to her feet. "Right. You'd best bring Saber to school with you Emiya. We don't know if any enemy Masters are on campus or not. It's best to be prepared."

Shirou was lost. "Umm, how do I do that?"

Rin sighed, it sucked having a total greenhorn on her team, even if he did cool things on a regular basis… not that she would ever tell him he was _cool _to his face. Satan would rise up and beat Alaya and Gaia at strip poker before that ever happened. "Just have her go into astral form and follow you around. Archer, demonstrate."

Tomoe dematerialized right in front of Shirou like the ghostly being she was, only to materialize again moments later. Seeing this, Saber gave a shaky laugh. "Eheheheh. I don't think I can do that."

Rin and Ruler quirked an eyebrow. The magus of the two asked. "Why not?"

Scratching at her cheek, Saber replied awkwardly. "Well, my summoning was… odd? Yeah that's the best way to put it. Suffice it to say the whole arterializing thing? I can't do that."

Ruler came to a swift decision as if guided by a higher power. "That won't be a problem. You'll just need to attend classes with Shirou and myself tomorrow."

"Attend…" Shirou began.

"Classes?" Rin continued.

"Tomorrow?" Miyu finished.

The anime connotations were hard not to see here. Miyu was already imagining the hijinks and yawned. She was tired from all this heart hurting stuff.

Ruler nodded with confidence, her mind made up. "Yes, provided Rin can get us some spare uniforms, I believe I can convince the staff we are exchange students with little difficulty."

Rin blinked. It was getting too late and she didn't feel like arguing with a Servant. "I'll swing by early tomorrow morning and drop off a couple of spare uniforms." Her face soured as she noted both Servants had rather prominent busts. Her tsun-tsun sulked. "Though the shirts and coats might need letting out."

"That's no trouble, I know how to sew." Ruler either completely missed or chose to ignore Rin's tone at that last statement. If it was the latter she had saved herself a very upset group member.

Rin took to her feet, as did her Servant and little sister. Assassin just bowed politely towards Shirou before disappearing using Presence Concealment. "Well, we should be going Emiya-kun."

"I'll see you to the door."

As Shirou saw his two friends out, he saw fit to remind Rin of her earlier commitments. "Remember Tohsaka, you promised to come with me and talk with Raiga-oyabun tomorrow after club activities."

Rin bit her lip. She'd half hoped he'd forgotten about that. "I did, and I will Emiya-kun. It might go even smoother if we bring Ruler with us and explains all the craziness that's going on."

Shirou hadn't thought of that. "Good idea Tohsaka. There's a reason you're at the top of the class I guess."

Rin turned her head away sharply. She refused to let him see her blush. "I just don't want your second family's death on my conscience ok? That's all there is to it!"

"Right. Goodnight Tohsaka, Miyu-chan."

Rin wasn't quite done though. "A…another thing! If we're going to be working together, you shouldn't be so formal! No more Tohsaka this and Tohsaka that got it?!" Rin looked at her feet and mumbled, "It's Rin from now on."

Shirou felt like he was missing something important, but if she was fine with him calling her by her first name, then he didn't mind. "Goodnight, Rin-san."

Shirou could've sworn he heard her gulp just then. "G…Good night Emi… Shirou-kun."

"Bye bye Shirou," Miyu said, deciding to simply take what Rin had been given and up it up a notch. Shirou was startled at this, Rin firing up the cylinders for full tsun-tsun mode when she simply lost all her fire when her sister swiftly hugged her sempai and kissed him on the cheek. Looking confused at her actions, feeling her lips for a moment she grabbed her sister and once she'd turned the corner with her charge, Miyu turned to her with a sly look, having regained control of herself and said, "That was quite bold of you Nee-san. I'm impressed."

"Quiet you! We need to get home and both of us need to get to bed."

Miyu giggled at her big sisters' discomfort, happy for her, even if they both liked the same dense boy.

Shirou stood in confusion on his doorstep wondering what prompted Tohsaka… no, Rin he reminded himself to suddenly switch to a first name basis. He was simply refusing to think about Miyu's thing right now. His little sister just did not kiss him! He was in full blown denial!

'_Well we did go through a lot tonight, maybe that's what did it.'_ He thought as he closed his door and made his way back inside to his waiting guests. "Shall I show you where you'll be sleeping?"

Though Shirou didn't often have guests if he didn't count Taiga staying over when he was younger or his sempai stumbling in after a bender he kept his guest rooms immaculate, if a bit spartan. The futons were rolled up in a corner of the room and the sheets were folded atop them. Shirou with quick and practiced movements, had two rooms ready in a matter of minutes, both just down the hall from his own.

"I hope this will be alright for the two of you while you're here Ruler-san? If you need anything else just ask."

Ruler sent her host a warm smile. "This is more than enough, than you Shirou-san, thank you, and please, as with the others feel free to refer to me as Jeanne when we are not on the battlefield."

Right. Good night Jeanne."

Good night Shirou." Ruler shut her door and slumped down against it. Once again, she let the Revelation from the Lord play out through her mind…

_Shirou stood blade in hand, a black and green pinstriped holy shroud draped over his frame, a gun of some sort holstered under his right arm. Musashi stood at his right side, with herself at his left. Behind him, stood others. A woman with long dark hair, and crimson eyes, in a black bodysuit, spears in either hand. An older woman in a business suit who was casually tossing a lead sphere up and down in one hand. Rin, Miyu, and their Servants were present as well._

There were others, but their faces and forms were obscured at the moment. The Lord would reveal more when it was time, she was sure. Jeanne knew this though. Shirou was important to their victory in this war.

Jeanne knew that much.

Shirou showed Saber to her room right across the hall from Jeanne's. "Will this be alright Saber?"

Saber looked around her room giddily. "This is great aniki, much better than the hut I built outside my old man's house just to spite him. Stubborn old man." She finished with an angry huff.

"I'm sorry?" Shirou wasn't quite sure how to respond to that.

Saber waved away his apology. "Nah, don't apologize. This is nice." Saber flopped down on her futon and spread out lazily. "Yep, much nicer than my old shack."

Seeing her look so relaxed caused Shirou to smile. "Good night Musashi."

Japan's sword saint perked her head up and smiled a bit at her name being used for the first time. "Night, Shirou."

Shirou retired to his own room. Today had been… insane was a good word for it. He made new friends, found out he had multiple crushes, met back up with Shinji who was (Decent? Does not compute) now, met Illya who knew Kiritsugu… somehow. Then he got stabbed. That _sucked_. Summoned Saber somehow. He would need to check out his shed tomorrow. Fought off Lancer who hit on him…

'_Should I be worried about that?'_ Shirou wondered to himself. So many thoughts churned in his head it was hard to concentrate on any one thing for too long. He met Kirei, Caren, and Ciel… fought his way through Darius III's undead army and had a Phantasmal Beast chopping down on grass behind his shed. '_I should see about building a stall for Coal tomorrow but I've got to see Raiga-Oyabun tomorrow too. So much to do, so little time already.'_

It took some time, but Shirou finally managed to settle down to sleep. Tomorrow would be a better day, or so he hoped.

* * *

**Words: 21,674** **Pages: 53** **Date Completed: 4/4/2019**

* * *

**AN:**

**Yo Heliosion here and today I thought we could do something a bit different today and talk about the rules that govern our little group. Why I am doing it today you ask? Just because I have nothing better to say! **

**Here is the rules of Ink Bros: Marvel in their amazing! Stan Lee you god of all gods! EXCELSIOR!**

**The rules of Ink Bros**

**We do NOT talk about Ink Bros to anyone but us.**

**We do NOT talk about Ink Bros to anyone but us.**

**We speak honestly and without mercy.**

**No drugs are allowed in case of judgement calls or run the risk of pissing the editor off! Alcohol and glue are not permitted to be consumed during the work process. Scary Heliosion is a polite one.**

**Lastly, seeing as this is the most important if Bubba is high, all editing must cease because he's too chill with prescription meds to argue back properly.**

**There you go everyone just how we maintain order in the universe without Stan Lee to guide us! See you around Space Cowboys and I will hand you over to Bubbajack who at the moment is NOT stoned much to his dismay!**

**I NEED to be high to put up with half of your scathing remarks and general stupidity Helios! You make me want to do drugs… I hope you know that! I kid (Mostly) But my codependent relationship with Helios aside (I put up with his shit because he's a good editor) I hope you all enjoyed the chap! Thanks for the reviews everyone! I'm glad this new story of mine has been so well received. I honestly thought I'd get some hate for Shinji being portrayed in a good light… But anyway, till next time everyone… Inkblot Bros out!**

I'll leave you now with Four Servant profiles Starting with Musashi:

**Master: **Shirou Emiya

**Servant:** Saber of Yellow

**Secondary Classes:** None

**True Name: **Miyamoto no Musashi

**Title: **Kensei (Sword Saint), Flower of Tengen.

**Gender: **Female

**Height/Weight: **167cm/56kg – 5'6/123lbs

**Hair/Eye Color: **Pink/Green

**Complexion: **light

**Alignment: **Chaotic Good

**Parameters:**

**STR: **A **MAG: **D

**END: **A **LUK: **A

**AGI: **A **NP: **A

**Class Skills:**

**Magic Resistance:** _Ability to outright nullify magical effects._ **(A):** Immune to modern magecraft. It is not an understatement to call this Servant a Magus Killer.

**Riding:** _Ability to ride mounts._ **(E): **Musashi is notably bad at riding, having fallen off her mount at the Battle of Shimabara Rebellion.

**Personal Skills:**

**Battle Continuation**_: is a Skill that allows for the continuation of combat after sustaining mortal wounds. It will also reduce mortality rate from injury. This Skill represents the ability to survive and/or the mentality of one who doesn't know when to give up, consisting of one's strength of vitality in predicaments. It is also one of the powers of a vampire. The best result is achieved when a resilient body is combined with this Skill._ **(EX):** Tries every dirty trick in the book to survive. Playing dead not to lose a fight is one of her fortes. She confuses the enemies with her speeches and pulls off amazing comebacks from disgraceful escapes. She is a shameless realist to the core and seems to use "If I win at the end, I'm the winner, right? That's why I have to run away now! After all, if I'm dead, I can't win at the end, can I?" as a convenient excuse for it. This is who Girl Musashi is.

**Book of Five Rings**_: is a book made by Miyamoto Musashi, compiling the mental state he attained during his lifetime and his cultivated techniques into the book right before his death. Divided into the five volumes of Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Void, this book was the culmination of the human being called "Musashi". The Book of Five Rings gives an outline of the Niten Ichi-ryu and explains its ideology as an art of war in the Book of Earth, explains concrete techniques in the Book of Water, talks about the art of war in the dimensions of tactics and strategy, and - just like the above-mentioned - explains the fundamental understanding of the Niten Ichi-ryu by means of a repudiation of other schools. Finally, it has been said that Musashi's own understanding about "emptiness", as well as the above-mentioned technique of "confrontation", has been written down in the Book of Void._ **(-): **Grants Musashi's four blades the each a different elemental effect. Wind, Fire, Water, and Earth.

**Empyrean Eye: **_is a Mystic Eye ability that permits the resolution of a desired result as 'inevitable' by way of committing the entirety of the user's existence to the act of achieving the outcome. _**(A+): **Musashi's application of the Empyrean Eye generally defines that "_such and such location should be cut_"; for example, seeking that "_the opponent's right arm should be sliced off_" effects, of the set of all possible methods and means available to her, the most efficient path toward this particular outcome - "_without waste, a single slice that inevitably falls_", _"Without waste, a single slice that pins down time and space"; that is, the ability defines that a particular movement through a particular space at a particular time is the only permissible outcome_). To rephrase, this is an ability that focuses "_the means to an end_" to "_a single solution_"; an ability that effects the restriction of all possible futures to a "_single outcome_."

**Fifth Form: **_Ninten Ichu-Ryu in the form of a Skill._ **(A+): **A stance that instantly maximizes on power, the main advantage of using two swords. The Niten Ichi-ryuu is a style that fights while going along with the circumstances, letting the sword fight as it wants to, but in exceptional situations, when she is facing against a powerful opponent; when she is facing against destiny, she calms herself down, turns her sword's heart into Zero, and takes the stance.

**Nothingness: **_is the highest order a swordsman can attain. The ultimate mental state. It corresponds to the concept of Suigetsu of the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū. One is nothing, thus invincible. Only a swordsman who has reached the infinite mental state can perceive this. _ **(A+): **Not even a slash that uses the Multi-Dimensional Refraction Phenomenon can reach someone voiles.

**NP:**

**Six Realms, Five Rings:** _The Divine Figure of Kulika. _**Type:** Anti-unit/Fate **Rank:** A+ **Range:** 4-40 **Max # of Targets:** 1

**Lore: **_A sword-roaring battou. Still wielding two swords, she takes a firm stance and: Lesser Celestial Thrust… then after overpowering the opponent with her swords' energy to damage their spirit; Greater Celestial Phenomenon… Musashi lets out her final blow with all her might. The Niou appearing behind her is just a side-effect of her swords' pressure. It can be considered an embodiment of the sword of "Zero", the concept of "Void" Musashi has yet to master. It's called an Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm, but it is actually an Anti-Fate Noble Phantasm. A Buddha sword that wards off all forms of untimely deaths, karmic damage, curses and tragedies in a single sweep. "After you scraped off something's existence to the extreme, to the point you could say it no longer has any, "something" still remains." The extreme "One" they say "no two of" can be found. The "Zero" that is beyond it… the concept of__「 」__._

_The Flower of Tengen keeps striving to reach this throne._

_When she draws her sword for the Greater Celestial Phenomenon, she mentions Tenman Dai-Jizai Tenjin's name. The historical Musashi Miyamoto was a devout of Tenman Dai-Jizai Tenjin, and he can be considered his guardian deity. Tenman Dai-Jizai Tenjin is the name given to the heavenly god of the Dazai Prefecture's Tenmanguu Shrine; in other words, the amalgamation of the thunder god and Japan's most prominent vengeful spirit Sugawara-no-Michizane and Dai-Jizai Ten Mahesvara (also known as Shiva, the Hindu God of Destruction). Additionally, Dai-Jizai Ten is also considered an avatar of Guanyin. In reality, before Sugawara-no-Michizane started to be worshipped as the heavenly god of scholarship at the end of the Heian Era, he had already been conferred the divine name of Tenman Dai-Jizai Tenjin, so, putting it bluntly, Tenman Dai-Jizai Tenjin is Sugawara-no-Michizane's aspect as a wrathful god traced over to Shiva. It is speculated that the reason Musashi chose the thunder god as the object of his devotion is because most kenjutsu practitioners before him and their schools were devout to the Kashima Shrine, and the god Takemizuchi worshipped there was said to be the thunder god's ancestor. Takemizuchi, the god of thunder-turned-god of kenjutsu. In response to that, since Musashi chose to perfect himself on "the art of the sword" instead of "the technique of the sword", he did not devote himself to the same god of thunder or kenjutsu, but to Tenman Dai-Jizai Tenjin, who also has an aspect as the god of scholarship. Or so it is speculated. Additionally, at the time (and even now), Dai-Jizai Ten was often confused with Ishana Ten, the king of a place named Take-Jizai Ten, due to their similar names. Ishana Ten is considered to be on the same god as Izanagi, the ancestor god of Japan. And, due to how its name is pronounced, he is associated with Shana-ou (Minamoto no Yoshitsune). Since Yoshitsune was, even at the time, considered the originator of the samurais' militarization, Ishana is implied to be connected to both Japan and the origin of samurais._

* * *

**Master: **Rin Tohsaka

**Servant: **Archer of Yellow

**Secondary Classes:** Lancer, Saber

**True Name:** Tomoe Gozen

**Title: **Demoness of the Battlefield.

**Gender:** Female

**Height/Weight:** 162/50kg – 5'2/110lbs.

**Hair/Eye Color: **Pink/Red

**Complexion: **Fair

**Alignment: **True Neutral

**Parameters:**

**STR: A+ + ** **MAG: A**

**END: B ** **LUK: A+**

**AGI: B+ ** **NP: A+**

**Class Skills:**

**Independent Action**: _Ability for a Servant to act without mana from a Master. Skill of the Archer Class._ **(A+): **The Servant can operate without a Master. With a Rank of A+ that exceeds even A, the support of a Master is unnecessary even while unleashing a large amount of Magical Energy. It is an ability that bends the rules and allows for the continued materialization of Servants even after the conclusion of a Holy Grail War. Gained due to the being summoned in Japan and being recognized as a Nature Spirit by the World.

**Magic Resistance:** _Ability to outright nullify magical effects._ **(A):** Immune to modern thaumaturgy. It is not an understatement to call this Servant a Magus Killer.

**Personal Skills:**

**Blood Excitation:** _A form of battle hypnosis that allowed Tomoe to tap into and enhance her Onikind abilities._ **(A+):** A type of self-suggestion that Tomoe unconsciously performed while alive. Upon manifesting as a Servant, it has been defined as a Skill that temporarily amplifies her powers as an Oni Kind. Ranked-Up due to being summoned in Japan.

**Clairvoyance**_: is a visual ability that is generally a must-have ability of the Archer class. It is also frequently used during scouting. In addition, Clairvoyance also affects the accuracy of bows. It connotes superior visual perception and dynamic occipital capture, such as to supplement the long-range aiming of projectile weapons. At higher ranks, it is possible that the bearers of this Skill have acquired abilities such as precognition and other forms of perception beyond standard. _**(D): **Though a skilled archer, due to preferring to be in the thick of battle, Tomoe's rank in this skill is quite low. Can keep track of fast-moving objects within a range of 2km. Ranked-Up from E rank due to being summoned in Japan.

**Knowledge of the Melee's**_: is a methodology regarding crowd-combat in which friends and foes are all jumbled together. Not the ability to take command of a military force but combat techniques to persevere as a single warrior within the troops of an army._ **(A):** Tomoe is well familiar with battles of many against many and one against all. Ranked-Up due to being summoned in Japan.

**Mad Enhancement: **_Skill of the Berserker Class. Trades sanity for Power._ **(D):** Strength and Endurance parameters are Ranked-Up. Language ability is simple. Continuing complex thoughts over long periods of time are difficult. Due to being an Onikind, Tomoe's thought process was rather warped from the jump. She merely wishes to serve her beloved lord. Thus, complex thought is not required. Ranked-Up due to being summoned in Japan.

**Onikind Demon: **_A Skill that represents the superpower as well as the demonic nature of an Oni. Only Oni and mixed-race beings with Oni blood can acquire this skill. A mixed Skill of Natural Monster, Monstrous Strength, Charisma, Mana Burst, etc. The version of Mana Burst depends on the user, but it is usually 'Heat'._ **(A+): **Grants **two Rank-Ups** to the **STR** Parameter, and **Mana Burst Flames**, which lets her ignite her weapons with magical fire and even fly. Rank was originally B but was increased to A+ due to **Blood Excitation Skill** and being summoned in Japan.

**NP:**

**Oṃ Ālolik Svāhā: **_Mantra of the Aryāvalokiteśvara. __**Type**_**: **Anti-unit **Rank: **A **Range: **1-12 **Max # of Targets: **1

**Lore: **_is the Noble Phantasm of Tomoe Gozen. The grief and sadness of not being able to meet her last moments together with Yoshinaka were coupled with her inborn abilities over flames and the monstrous strength of the Oni Kind, together sublimated into a Noble Phantasm._

_The Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva that acts as the honzon of the Gichu-ji, the temple that held the memorial services for her beloved Kiso no Yoshinaka—after confirming "the love towards Yoshinaka within herself" by chanting its mantra, she grabs and hurls the enemy, and fires an incandescent arrow into them, causing damage with a magical energy that resembles the sun which symbolizes her feelings for Yoshinaka, and his perceived reincarnation, Shirou Emiya._

* * *

**Master:** Miyu Sakatsuki

**Servant:** Assassin

**Secondary Classes:** N/A

**True Name:** Hassan-I-Sabbah

**Title:** Hassan of Serenity

**Gender:** Female

**Height/Weight: **161cm/42kg – 5'3/92lbs.

**Hair/Eye Color: **Purple/Purple

**Complexion:** Obsidian

**Alignment: **Lawful Evil

**Parameters:**

**STR: **D **MAN: **C

**END: **D **LUK: **A

**AGI: **A+ **NP:** C

**Class Skills:**

**Presence Concealment: **_Ability to hide ones presence as a Servant._ _Skill of the Assassin Class._ **(A+): **Hides one's presence as a Servant. Suitable for spying. It is possible to disappear completely and become almost impossible to be detected, even against a Servant's perception. However, efficiency will decrease once preparations to attack are taken.

**Personal Skills:**

**Independent Action:** _Ability to act without mana from the master. Skill of the Archer Class._ **(A):** Can last for up to a week without a contract.

**Poisoned Blade: **_Ability to accurately throw envenomed blades._ **(C++):** Although the effect is generally the same as the Projectile (Daggers) Skill, it possesses a secondary effect of bestowing onto the target a poison status.

**Shapeshift (Infiltration specialization): **_A variation of the shapeshift skill, specializing in infiltrating an enemy position._ **(C): **The ability to literally "shapeshift". It is possible for her to change her appearance at will and get close to her target of assassination. However, she is only able to shapeshift into a figure with a physique that is close to her own's. As long as this condition is satisfied, it is also possible for her to shapeshift into a figure exactly like that of a particular individual. Because the condition does not have an impact on the little differences the shapeshifted form may have, it is even possible for her to shapeshift into the opposite sex.

**Silent Dance: **_An alluring dance she used in life to enthrall her targets, turned into a skill._ **(B):** The dance of the Hassan of the Serenity scatters poison, weakening the target, and enhancing the success rate of her Noble Phantasm's application. It is primarily a Skill that functions as fascination.

**NP:**

**Zabaniya: **_Delusional Poison Body. _**Type:** Anti-unit **Rank:** C+ **Range:** \- **Max # of Targets:** 1

**Lore: **_is the ability possessed by the Hassan of Serenity, an attempt by the Assassin Order to replicate the Indian Visha Kanya (Poison Girl). It turns every part of her body, including all her bodily fluids, her nails and skin, and even her breath, into deadly poison._

_It is the Hassan of Serenity's state of being of killing everyone who comes into contact with her by poison, transformed into a Noble Phantasm. It results in death to living things that touches her skin and bodily fluids. It is also possible for armaments that are not Noble Phantasms to corrode instantly when coming into contact with her poison. Because she is not able to "adjust" the amount of her poison given towards living beings, opponents who touched her will be killed without fail. However, she is able to voluntarily determine whether the armaments she touches would be corroded or not._

_Towards Servants, the Hassan of Serenity is not able to "kill them by simply touching them", but it is more than possible to cause them pain that slightly weakens their movements. It is also possible to give them damage and a bad status effect if they happen to come into contact with her mucous membrane, such as through oral means, etc. It is generally death for any being that comes into contact with her mucous membrane for a total of "three times"._

_The Hassan of Serenity also possesses a trump card that can be used only once… she scatters her body in all directions at point-blank range, throwing towards her enemy a massive quantity of her poisonous blood._

* * *

**Master:** Caren Hortensia (Command Seals), Ciel (Mana supply)

**Servant:** Berserker of Blue

**Secondary Classes: **Rider

**True Name:** Darius III

**Title: **Last True King of Persia

**Height/Weight: **345cm/280kg – 11'4/616lbs.

**Hair/Eye Color: **None/Yellow

**Complexion:** Onyx

**Alignment: **Lawful Neutral

**Parameters:**

**STR:** A+ **MAG: **D

**END:** A++ **LUK: **C

**AGI:** A **NP: **A

**Class Skills:**

**Mad Enhancement: **_Berserker Class Skill. Sacrifices sanity for power._ **(B): **Rank up for all parameters but takes away most of sanity.

**Personal Skills:**

**Battle Continuation:** _is a Skill that allows for the continuation of combat after sustaining mortal wounds. It will also reduce mortality rate from injury. This Skill represents the ability to survive and/or the mentality of one who doesn't know when to give up, consisting of one's strength of vitality in predicaments. It is also one of the powers of a vampire. The best result is achieved when a resilient body is combined with this Skill._ **(A+):** Can continue fighting even with wounds that place them on the verge of death. An ability representing the strong will to stay alive on the battlefield.

**Disengage: **_is the ability to withdraw from the battlefield in the midst of combat or reset the battle conditions._ **(A+): **Bonus effect of returning battle conditions to what they were at the beginning of the battle and restores the condition of this Skill to the initial value. At the same time, it forcibly releases all of the bad status ailments inflicted on the user of this Skill.

**Golden Rule: **_is a Skill that refers to the measurement of one's fortune to acquire wealth._ **(B): **Since he had enough assets to challenge Iskandar several times during his life, Darius III possesses this skill at Rank B. His financial power is a part of his strength as much as his combat ability.

**NP:**

**Atanathon Ten Thousand: **_Immortal Ten Thousand Soldiers._ **Type: **Anti-Army **Rank: **A+ **Range: **1-99 **Max # of Targets:** 500

**Lore: **_is the immortal Athanatoi corps of Darius III, his army of ten thousand elite men turned into a Noble Phantasm. Having existed as historical fact, the legends established in later years causes their nature as indestructible and immortal to be emphasized. Transformed into moving corpses and walking skeletons, they gather to become a "War Elephant of Death", a "colonial organism of sorts", that exterminates Darius's enemies with a "terrifying blow of magical power." It moves only under the commands of Darius, and it's devoted to annihilating the enemies of the king. In life, Darius and his army fought against Alexander the Great's Ionioi Hetairoi many times, and his greatest wish as a Servant is to have a rematch of their forces._


	3. Chapter 3

**Fate Triumvirate**

**By: Bubbajack**

**Beta: IcySnowSage**

**Disclaimer: I do not own FSN. It belongs to Type-Moon. **

**Ch.3: First Day.**

* * *

Caren and Ciel were the first down the stairs the next morning having gotten in long after the others had retired for the evening. The illustrious home base of the Blue Faction was in fact an old office building that had been condemned due to the fire a decade prior. With love, tenderness, and some magecraft it had rapidly been refurbished. Still with the cash and magic thrown at the rebuilding it was still a rather spartan complex, suitable for a base of operations than any sort of permanent residence consisting of a kitchen sans of course any modern appliances, dining room with a wooden dinner table set that would probably feed a third world family of four for a year and a set of concrete reinforced stairs leading to the second floor which consisted of various sleeping quarters adjusted to individual preferences and weirdly enough though circumstances called for it individual makeshift Workshops. Everyone had at one point made note of just how strange it was to have secretive Magi basically rooming their secrets right next to one another without enough defenses to make the Pentagon jealous. The first to make a march on the coffee pot was Caren making zombies look energetic with her drained visage. The sound of dripping coffee slowly reinvigorated the tired woman.

"Good morning Tohno-san." Caren's voice was droning, tired and pissed at the sunlight streaming through the curtains all at the same time.

"Morning Hortensia-san, Ciel-sempai." A cheerful male voice called which caused Caren's sempai to stiffen. She hated morning people, surely, they were defying god's will or something? The boy carried on, oblivious to the nun's plight, her vow to say nothing until caffeine was inserted in her body. "I hope you found the leftovers from dinner last night alright?"

Ciel gave a stiff nod, refusing to look Shiki in the eye. The happy was just too much at this time in the morning. "We did, thank you."

Shiki Tohno, Master of the Blue Faction's Assassin was a tall boy with messy dark hair who insisted on wearing his blue school uniform even though he was no longer attending classes citing it as 'comfortable'. The round glasses he had perched on the end of his nose gave him a bookish but approachable air…

Caren just couldn't see it. You could never tell just by looking at him that he was a trained killer and killed two Dead Apostles. He looked like the people who volunteered at her church to take old people to bingo every Saturday.

Shiki was currently standing at the stove in the Faction's makeshift kitchen, monitoring skillets of eggs, breakfast sausage, and of course the much-needed pancakes. Seeing as she was English raised, she noted the lack of black pudding but forgave the young man for not including it. Nobody was perfect...

Just like Caren's stomach which grumbled in protest. '_So that's what breakfast is today.' _Heading into toward the stove, her nose as a guide Caren complimented the chef, "A full Western breakfast Tohno-san?" Holding her cheek with her hand the nun made a small, sexy smile that had the young glasses wearing man gulping. Ciel was practically hissing like a cat at the gesture. "My, my, what's the occasion?"

Shiki gave an awkward smile, pulling at his collar with one hand. Ciel was not happy that Caren had earned such a reaction from Shiki. It amused Caren, almost making her coffee irrelevant. She had two ways to get ready for the morning, today both had been stimulated.

"Nothing really," Shiki started, a high pitch to his voice. Caren's smile grew, Ciel got more territorial. "I just figured we should all start the day with a big meal you know. Besides, a certain someone loves pancakes."

Caren took a long draught of black coffee with her eyes closed. Then put her down her cup, eyes opened as she breathed in the embarrassment and the joy it brought to her morning. Shiki was one step away from imitating a steam engine with his ears. On the other hand, the bitter coffee brought her almost as much joy as teasing others. Now more awake, she decided to tease her sempai a bit… more?

She unconsciously licked her lips; the action making the young Shiki trip over his own feet and almost destroy the much hard worked at breakfast. Now that required punishment… She stared at Ciel… The hunt was afoot.

"Ciel-sempai," Caren said, really drawing out the name to make sure Ciel was paying attention to her and not daydreaming about Shiki taking her on the kitchen table. Caren waited until her senpai was staring at her, eyes narrowing before continuing, "Has told me she _just loves_ your cooking Tohno-san so I'm looking forward to trying it."

Shiki smiled in his faux sempai's direction. He was so oblivious. It made the game so much more fun. She sipped more coffee. Damn, this breakfast just couldn't get better. Maybe if her father called to say someone had cut off his legs? Meh, she could dream later on, teasing was happening. "Is that right? Glad you liked it sempai."

Ciel blushed brighter than the overhanging gas lamp and nodded vigorously… She also 'accidentally' stepped on Caren's foot.

The nun was willing to take an injury for the greater good… She meant teasing...

Caren looked between the Executor and the former high school student. The proverbial question mark bubble above her head switched to an exclamation mark in understanding. '_Ah, so that's it.'_ She nodded. Oh, this was going to taste better than a gallon of coffee. "Yes. I also recall Ciel-senpai mentioning someone killed Roa but not how. I'm assuming you helped with that?"

Shiki gave a brisk nod. Bless him, the young boy was still clueless about everything. Ciel was about ready to practice her knife skills on her and the kid had no idea. Maybe she should tell him about the Nigerian prince looking for investment opportunities?

"I did, him and Nero Chaos."

Caren clasped her hands together, backtracking so as not to let Ciel do anything without looking the fool. "May the Lord bless you as the instrument of his righteous vengeance."

"Um, thank you?" Shiki wasn't quite used to Caren's antics yet. With luck he never would. It was way too much fun to tease Ciel… She just would need to remember not to be left alone with the woman for a few hours just for safety sake.

"When do we eat?" Ciel interrupted stiffly. Caren sniggered at the image her imagination gave her of Ciel breathing fire from all of her facial orifices.

"Soon sempai," Shiki said diligently, "Maybe you could set the table Caren-sempai?"

A ghost of a smile past Caren's lips. This boy was making it so easy! "I'm not your senior Tohno-kun, I never was but if you like I could be if you want."

Shiki smiled at his faux-pas and missed the innuendo entirely. Ciel made one hell of a bang when her foot missed Caren's leg. Too slow Ciel!

"Perhaps we can discuss that over breakfast?" Shiki then called up the nearby set of stairs, turning his back so not to see Ciel stab a black key into the wall to warn Caren off her kohai. She really had to be mad not to realize Shiki could've heard that, but his shouting drowned out the sound. "Everyone, breakfast is almost ready!"

The sound of a stampede of animals was heard above the trio, along with lots of swear words. If Caren was a normal nun she would've scolded them for their candor but alas she had had enough trolling for the moment. She sipped her coffee and ignored Shiki's request to set the table. Twice the pleasure indeed.

"Don't push me jackass!"

"Who are you calling an ass, Pict!"

"Eh?! You wanna take this outside? I may be a Caster, but I can still take you any day pretty boy!"

"If you insist, heathen, then for the glory of my King and country I shall…"

"Enough already!" a woman's voice cut in sharply.

"Lady Assassin," one voice greeted cordially.

"Girlie," the other said casually.

The voice of Assassin carried through the hallway upstairs and down the steps. The sass made Caren's coffee taste even better.

"Haven't either of you two idiots realized you can asterialize and not clog up the hallway?"

The replies to her well thought out point made Caren even happier. She loved a good argument in the morning.

"I did not my lady."

"Nope."

Assassin let out a sigh. Caren had to imagine Assassin bashing her head off the wall. Moments later, she appeared next to her Master. She was pale, with short, inky black hair and dark eyes that seemed empty like the void. She was wearing a blue kimono underneath a red leather jacket that was trimmed with fur, and leather boots that looked like they were meant for hiking. Assassin let her gaze roam over Caren and Ciel before they settled on her Master.

"Shiki-kun. What's for breakfast?"

"A full Western breakfast... I hope that's alright Nee-san?" Shiki asked kindly.

Assassin gave a curt nod. "That's fine… Coffee?" She quirked an eyebrow.

"Already made." The answer caused a ghost of a smile to appear on Assassin's lips and the promise of a holy war from Ciel.

Soon, the other members of the infamous Blue Faction began to appear. The first was a bubbly short haired blonde wearing a cream sweater with eyes red like blood. Contrasting her top was the black skirt, pantyhose, and brown shoes she was wearing. Her crimson eyes lit up when she saw Shiki.

"Shiki, Shiki! What are we eating, huh, huh?!"

The young killer gently waved her off. Caren was not pleased as he was holding their food. Even if she died afterwards, she would cut a bitch if they dropped her food.

"Calm down Arc, we're having a Western style breakfast."

The blonde smiled. "I'm sure it'll be great if you made it Shiki."

The boy blushed and looked away, prompting Assassin to huff. It was like a soap opera! All they needed was the evil twin brother and the daughter who came out of a coma after ten years to accuse herself of putting herself in the coma because her other personality was suicidal… Caren shook her head and looked at her coffee. The kid brewed some awesome stuff to think that much first thing in the morning.

"Why don't you two just go and rent a hotel already."

A laugh came from the stair's courtesy of an older woman with her brunette hair tied back in a ponytail and glasses over her warm brown eyes. She was wearing a light green dress and she had a cigarette in her mouth. The aura she gave off screamed 'big sister' at the moment.

Finishing off her smoke, the woman spoke. "Ah, to be young and in love."

"Touko-san please stop." Shiki grumbled, looking away from the smirking older woman.

Arcueid, the White Princess of the True Ancestors was confused. Despite being eight hundred years old she was still clueless about things like relationships.

"What's wrong Shiki? Are you hungry?"

"Nothing Arcueid. Let's just sit down and eat." Shiki noticed someone peering out from behind Touko's legs. He leaned down and smiled at the person he'd overlooked. "Is Abby-chan joining us for breakfast?"

Just behind Touko, hanging onto her hand was a young girl of about twelve or thirteen. She was pale and wispy thin, with long blonde hair and sky-blue eyes. She was wearing archaic clothing like one would expect to see in a museum from 18th century colonial America, a black dress and bonnet on her head with matching black ribbons separating her hair into twintails. She peeked out from behind Touko and nodded.

"Yes papa, momma said it was alright."

Shiki found himself blushing. For reasons he couldn't quite understand, the girl Foreigner, had imprinted on him as her 'papa' and Touko as her 'momma'. The first time he said that around Arcueid he thought the poor girl was going to be killed. Instead, Arc being… well, Arc, thought it was the most adorable thing ever.

'_I guess it helps being called big sis,'_ Shiki mused to himself.

The little girl looked around and bowed respectfully to both Ciel and Caren who returned the gesture. Having come from 18th century America, Foreigner was inaugurated to respect high ranking members of the church above all else for they were closest to God. Foreigner continued her gaze about the room taking everything in without blinking.

Finally, she asked, "Where is Sion-nee and the others papa?"

Shiki reassured the little girl. "I'm sure they'll all be along shortly."

Foreigner frowned at that. "We can't without saying grace first and we can't do that without everyone present." She added matter of factly like all good kids, "They're being rude."

"Archer put me down!" a girl's embarrassed shout came from upstairs. Moments later, Archer appeared, carrying Sion Eltnam Atlasia bridal style down the steps, his usual melancholic look on his face offset only slightly by the mischievous gleam in his dark, sorrowful eyes. The purple haired vampire and the child of Night of Wallachia was blushing like mad; her hair was out of its normal braid flowing freely down her back and she was wearing nothing more than an oversized tee-shirt. "Tristan, put me down! Don't make me use a Command Spell for something stupid like this!"

"I think my lady doth protest too much," Sir Tristan Knight of the Round Table mused sullenly, his long brown hair framing his face, his slender form clad in shining steel plate. "If she had stayed in bed any longer, she might have missed breakfast."

"So, you drag me down the stairs bridal style in nothing but a shirt?!" Sion shouted at him, her face beet red and refusing to even look Shiki's way, her poor undead heart would surely give out if she looked at his face right now.

Tristan tutted at his master. It was hard to tell if he was being serious or the pioneer of the trolling. "Now, now, it wouldn't do to miss the morning meal. They say it is the most important one of the day after all. Should we miss it, I might have to compose a ballad in sorrow for our loss."

Sion knew when she was beat. Every time her Servant so much as strummed a note on his harp she was brought near to tears. "Fine… fine just put me down… _please_?" The last word was said in a near begging tone. "Spare me some dignity."

She made the error of looking at Shiki who was blushing up a storm, the blood seemingly making Arc look at his neck invitingly before common sense made her shake her head cluelessly. Ciel was gripping her hands tightly in restrained anger which was fueled by Caren holding her hand over her mouth to hide her laughter.

The Knight of Lamentation obliged his master, gently setting her down in a vacant chair. Sion snapped her head up when a giggling came from Foreigner who exclaimed, "You and Archer act like siblings… it's cute."

The Dead Apostle's mouth opened, and a squawk of indignation came out before she became contemplative. "Eh… You think so Abigail?"

Foreigner nodded. "Oh yes, Archer acts like your older brother. I didn't have one growing up, but I knew others who did, so I know what it's like."

"I must agree with Abigail's assessment." The last master made her way into the kitchen being wheeled in by her Servants. She was wheelchair bound, but still stunning. Long chestnut-brown hair and equally warm eyes that were currently tinged with mirth and she wore a long white nightgown. She was the heiress to the Yggdmillennia magi clan, a group of cast offs and dying magi families.

Her name was Fiore Forvedge Yggdmillennia and her smile had so far on its own fizzled out all arguments that led to furniture being thrown about.

The woman pushing her wheelchair was a buxom blonde wearing a red justaucorps coat with bronze buttons, her black vest barely managing to contain her massive bust. She also was wearing black stockings, thigh-high brown boots and her green eyes sparkled with joy. The other trait to note was she radiated a bubbly happiness much like a young puppy.

Caren was not a fan of puppies so the desire to kick this one was strong.

The other girl standing next to the wheelchair was shorter by contrast, with short white hair, seemingly cold blue eyes with her entire body concealed beneath a black coat. The collar was turned up to even cover her mouth, leaving only her eyes visible. She had an oversized cutlass sheathed vertically on her back. Though she said nothing, her very presence gave off a cold air as if one wanting to be left alone.

Upon seeing them, Foreigner hid behind Touko's leg, peering out from behind safety with a single mistrustful eye. For the two Servants before her were pirates without a doubt, and pirates couldn't be trusted.

Seeing the little girl's reaction, the blonde playfully swooned. "Abby still doesn't trust us! Whatever are we to do Mary?"

The silent one slumped to the side, her head resting on Fiore's shoulder, her voice coming out playful yet stoic. "I don't know Anne. Perhaps we should get her a teddy bear or maybe candy? Children like those things, right? I saw a toy store not far away!"

The boisterous blonde brightened. "A fine idea Mary! We'll get as many bears and candy as we can get our hands on! Then Abby-chan will have to like us!"

The two pirates shared a high-five and everyone else present shook their heads in exasperation. Those two were just too much. Touko asked the obvious question as she lit another cigarette. "Just how are you going to pay for all of that?"

Mary quirked an eyebrow. "Pay?" She made it sound like it was a foreign concept. "Pay?" You could almost add the, "What is this pay thing you speak of?" for it seemed utterly unknown to her.

Anne answered for them both, her lolicon powers were strong. "We're pirates! We're going to steal it all obviously. Booty is not just my luscious ass after all!"

Fiore cleared her throat, getting her Servant's attention. "Before you two plan a robbery for Foreigner's affections, do you think we could have breakfast?"

The two looked to their Master and smiled before saying in sync, "Of course, Master."

Fiore smiled so diligently when so many others would be reaching for the alcohol by now. Having a pair of socially corrupt and lolicon servants would drive even the greatest magi to booze… Caren gave the sweet girl a week if she lasted that long.

Abigail, the little girl carefully scrutinizing the large chested Anne as if she was holding a bloody butcher knife and standing over a body with multiple stab wounds spoke up then, her fear overridden by her desire for decorum. "We can't eat yet. Saber-san and Caster-san aren't here yet."

Arcueid arms were folded across her chest as she huffed and told the little girl, somewhat imitating the young child, "I put them in time out because they were bickering so early in the morning."

Shiki blanched as he imagined the two servants with goose egg sized lumps on the back of their heads, courtesy of his girlfriend. Caren prayed for their souls. "You didn't hit them too hard did you Arc?"

Arc looked at Shiki in bemusement. "No, no Shiki, just hard enough. I promise."

Shiki gave an awkward laugh. Caren resisted stirring the pot with Ciel being so jealous of their romantic scene. "Why doesn't that reassure me at all?"

Assassin sighed. She did that a lot. "Enough of this." She disappeared using Presence Concealment only to reappear with both Saber and Caster under each arm. Both had goose eggs on their heads. Dropping them both without ceremony she told them, "If you two fight again before breakfast, I'll be the one settling things…" Her eyes went from void black to a luminous sapphire blue with the pupil encircled by a ring of red. "Understood?"

Both Saber and Caster blanched and gulped before nodding. "Yes ma'am!"

Touko huffed out a cloud of smoke. "Honestly Caster, can't you just behave?"

The blue haired man swathed in sky blue robes with a sheer cloak over his shouldered eyed his Master lazily with his crimson eyes, his crooked yew wood staff held over his shoulders, the fur trimmed hood left flopping behind his back.

"Oi Master, I can't just let this bastard get away with saying whatever he wants, now can I? Even if I am summoned as a shitty Caster."

Saber bristled at Caster's comment. He was tall garbed in gleaming white plate trimmed in gold with a sky-blue cape hanging from his back. His hair was long and scraggly and despite his noble bearing he had an angry forlorn look in his eyes. In his hands, he held an immaculate golden broadsword with Fae lettering on its face.

"Hold your tongue Pict. You are in the presence of not one but two Knights of the Round Table. Your pagan gods will not save you here."

Caster quirked an eyebrow. "You sure about that?" Runes appeared around Caster in abundance without him having said a thing. "Are you really, really certain of that?"

Archer spoke up, his tone having its usual melancholic tinge. "That is enough Sir Lancelot. We've no time to quarrel amongst each other, not when we have plenty of other enemies surrounding us. Infighting and insurrection is what destroyed Camelot. Do you wish for it to destroy our chances at the Grail as well?"

The Perfect Knight grumbled listlessly before taking to his feet and seating himself next to his fellow knight. "I do not, but did you have to bring up Camelot? I still feel responsible for the loss of our kingdom."

"As do I old friend, as do I. Perhaps it is why we are here together now?" Tristan mused.

Saber made a noncommittal grunt of agreement before seating himself at the table, with Arcueid and Touko seating themselves between the two quarreling Servants. Now that they were all present and seated and at Foreigner's vehement insistence, they joined hands while Caren blessed the meal in her own way.

Ciel found the moment to kick Caren gently in the shin. Touché Ciel, touché!

"Dear Lord, we thank you for the meal we are about to receive. We know that some of us are more worthy of it than others, as some of us are unclean, heathenous vampires, black hearted magi and wretched spawn from who knows where…" Caren stopped when Ciel kicked her hard in the leg again, her tipped shoe cutting skin. "And some of us act like barbarians in your name. Regardless of our background and purpose, we partake in this meal now so that we might claim righteous victory in your name. Amen."

Shiki chuckled as he took the first bite of his meal. "That was an interesting sermon as always Hortensia-san."

Caren smiled innocently. "The word of the Lord is quite clear in those that would cavort with mysticism and the undead Tohno-san. What could you expect?"

Shiki was quick with his retort. "I'd expect God to take things on a case by case basis instead of painting everyone in a group with the same brush. He's God after all."

Abigail looked back and forth between the nun and her papa as they bickered. Back in her time, arguing the point of faith with a priest was unthinkable, for they spoke with the authority of God as they interpreted his holy word. Yet papa was doing so here. She was afraid for him and for her entire family. For that is what this group of was to her, a family. It was very odd and slightly dysfunctional it was still a family… It was her family, and Abigail would protect it, even if she hated violence.

* * *

Shinji had just laced up his boots and was heading towards the back door of the Edelfelt Mansion which was connected to the kitchen when he heard a voice call out to him.

"Shinji, a moment please."

The Matou tensed and choked back a sigh of annoyance. '_What does that blonde poofter want now? Did he forget to bring his dog to get him his morning paper?' _Shinji popped his head into the kitchen and gave a flat, "Yeah, boss?"

Leo, the great poofter in question was sitting at a large dining table, a cloth napkin tied around his neck as he cut into a plate of steak and eggs. He was already dressed for the day in his usual bright red suit, Gawain standing by his side like a steel statue.

Gently placing his tableware down, Leo inquired, "Are you heading out early? I thought school didn't start for another couple of hours?"

Shinji pulled himself fully into the dining room, leaning casually on the countertop. "It doesn't but I figured I could go check up on Sakura since yesterday was kinda rough on her, you know?"

Leo nodded. "A fine idea…" Leo paused as if trying to decide if he wanted to say more. Finally, he did. "Tell me Shinji, what's it like? Going to school with other people?"

Shinji opened his mouth, then closed it and rubbed his head. Where the fuck did this come from all of a sudden? How exactly did one go about answering such a question for a rich poofter like this? He knew Leonardo had private tutors for everything, but the kid was showing just how sheltered he really was by asking a question like this. Shinji at first thought this might be a good time to screw this guy over a little but that was old Shinji, the kid who thought everything was about him. Now...

Shinji was trying to be a better person though, so he tried to explain. "Umm, it's alright. It's different from anything you're used to I bet. Students gather in the class, take notes, get together with friends during lunch, go to after school clubs. Things like that."

Leo actually looked solemn for a moment. "Friends huh? Friends is something a king cannot afford to have. They could affect his judgement." Leo cited that as if it had been rehearsed, a line that had been drilled into his head over and over until he memorized it…

Until it became dogma.

Shinji didn't much care for Leo. He was this perfect kid who acted like everything was a foregone conclusion in his favor which was worse as he wasn't naive about his position in life. Shinji hated his brother Julius even more because he was a vindictive asshole, but they were two sides of the same coin. Yet, after what he'd just witnessed, Shinji was beginning to wonder how much Leo's self-assurance was actual belief and how much of it was being told over and over that he was going to win because he had to. No doubt in part due to the fact he was the perfect king of the Harwey Family.

'_Why am I suddenly feeling sorry for this kid?'_ Shinji wondered. His thoughts superimposed Sakura over him for just a second, long enough to feel sorry for the little prick who had him and could have his ass over the barrel ready to rape at will if he so chose.

'_That's because you have this thing called a conscience now.' _A little voice in the back of his mind told him. '_That's me by the way, keeping you on the straight and narrow… Ah, I see you are not available for a chat so hi…bye…'_

'_Fuck off conscience.'_ Shinji hated his conscience. Despite that fact, he still felt compelled to do something. "What about your parents?"

"Parents too are a hindrance. They were removed so that familial bonds do not interfere and so that I may fully focus on my duties as a king." Leo's reply was emotionless and factual.

Shinji felt near sick. He just admitted his parents had been murdered for his sake and didn't bat an eye. '_What the fuck have they done to this kid?! Did he get used to people who were in the way being killed?'_ Shinji's traitorous imagination now showed a random butler who served his ice cream too cold being dragged away and murdered, his body thrown in the passing river… Oh, he was thinking way too much into this!

"The path of a king is a lonely and solitary existence. Friends are not allowed, neither is family…" Leo got a mischievous gleam in his eye and looked around before saying conspiratorially, "But do you want to know a secret Shinji?" Interest piqued; Shinji made his way over to the young king leaning over the table next to the boy, he listened as Leo whispered. "A king might not be allowed to have friends or even family, but there's nothing saying he can't have a pet."

Shinji's eyes bulged slightly, and his mouth parted. '_Did… did he just more or less admit to calling me his only friend?'_

'_Yes, yes he did,' _Shinji's conscience told him. '_Ahh the acid! Keep the acid away!'_

It was safe to say even Shinji's imagination was violent to his conscience. It would learn when to talk! He enjoyed the screams it made.

Shinji stood up and promptly excused himself. "Right… well, I'd best get going, cause, you know. Sakura." Shinji mumbled, "I want to see my normal sister before you decide where my kennel is…"

Luckily Leo either didn't hear it or didn't care. "Of course, give her my regards," Leo replied, dismissing him with a wave before returning to his meal.

Once Shinji got outside, he spoke to the empty air. "Well, that was weird, wouldn't you say Archer?"

Atalante materialized in front of her Master, arms crossed and a thoughtful look on her face as her cat tail swishing back and forth made noises as it cut through the air like an angry whip. "Indeed Master, but what can you do? He holds your leash so to speak."

Shinji groaned in frustration. "This whole having a conscience thing sucks Atalante."

Archer patted her Master comfortingly on the shoulder. "There, there, it'll take some getting used to, you know actually having actual morals but I'm sure you can adjust."

Shinji pushed away her hand and straightened up. "Thanks, that hardly sounded patronizing at all." He was amazed the sarcastic clapping hadn't happened.

Archer quirked an eyebrow. Now, he remembered why he didn't do the sarcastic clapping. He liked having his hands attached to his arms too much.

"It didn't? I should've tried harder."

The two stared at each other for a moment before sharing a laugh. Shinji rubbed his head in annoyance. Damn cat girl… Why couldn't she be a normal one and prance around wearing an elementary school uniform and call him 'Onii-chama'? "Still I feel like I should do something though. If I leave it like this, it's sure to leave a bad taste in my mouth."

"Then do something," Archer prompted him like it was so easy he could pull it off while riding a unicycle.

Man being nice was difficult... Shinji moaned like a wounded sea lion as he made his way back inside with Archer, the anti-cat girl falling in step behind him.

Leo looked up from his now finished meal. "Did you forget something Shinji?"

"Look, you're gonna be a king, right?" Leo nodded, prompting the abrasive magus to continue. "Well how can you expect to lead the people properly if you've never talked with any of them? You need to talk to the people learn what they like… uhm Archer help me out here?"

"Mingle with the masses?" Atalante supplied. "Understand the common people?"

The Matou Magi nodded. "Yeah that." Damn, if his answer didn't make him feel helpless. Leo was like a Lego kit. It had all the pieces but if not put together didn't make sense of anything. Leo was Mr. Lego at the moment and no Shinji was not going to call him that for fear that it might slip out during these meetings.

Leo closed his eyes and slowly nodded as he digested his loyal hounds' words. "You make a fine point. How do you suggest I get to know my future serfs?"

'_Ok, I've got him on the hook, time to reel him in before he wriggles from the line,' _Shinji thought. "Come to school with me." He added quickly, seeing the guy with his leash frown in deep thought, "With your connections it would be a cinch to register you as a transfer student. Also, I think it would do you some good to get your hands dirty like the rest of us in the Faction."

Leo perked up at that. Shinji smelt the stinking scent of success. Time to shovel this shit further!

"Elaborate please."

Shinji fixed his 'owner' with a deadpan stare. This was proving too easy like shooting fish in a barrel with a flamethrower attached.

"C'mon Leo, do I really need to spell it out? Luvia is housing us, I've got us a spy in another Faction and will be gathering intel while going to school because I guarantee you some of them will be there. Julius has been using Assassin to spy on everything like crazy... Sensei and Rider… well they've basically been running things and Grey has basically turned herself into their assistant. Meanwhile you sit back and act like your actually in charge. We've even got another guy coming in prepared to act as a second hitman and the Master for our Caster for goodness sakes."

For just a moment, Shinji thought he'd crossed the line for Leo was scowling. Then he sighed and Shinji's balls came back out of his body when it was all clear. "I see, I haven't been pulling my weight, have I? When did you learn how to bark Shinji?"

Shinji allowed the tension to leave his body, rubbing his bits with his legs anxiously for a moment but disguised it as a scoff. He took a deep breath, thinking of how close future generations of Shinji Matou had been spared from genocide.

"I've always been barking. You just never bothered to listen before."

Leo steepled his fingers in contemplation. "I see, and you think I could help you in intelligence gathering?"

Shinji rubbed his head and looked away. Wow, he was not a good liar these days. Back in the old days Zouken made you learn the art of whistling innocently and walking away. "Maybe? At the very least I won't be out numbered at school. I know of two maybe three people in the Yellow Faction who are Masters. Rin Tohsaka, that's definite as she's a Tohsaka and Second Owner, along with my sister Sakura as she's representing the Matou."

"You mention a possible third? Shinji?" Leo pressed when his hound remained silent.

Casting his gaze to the heavens Shinji huffed. "I did some digging while at the Clocktower. Kiritsugu Emiya fought on the side of Einzbern during the last Holy Grail War. He ordered his Servant, King Altria to destroy the Lesser Grail upon its manifestation, ruining the ritual upon the cusp of its completion and causing mass devastation to Fuyuki. His reasons for doing this are unknown according to the report from the War survivor of the Church Kirei Kotomine."

Leo absorbed all of this easily enough. He might be a poofter but he wasn't a damn stupid poofter. "Continue."

"The man's catalyst for summoning King Altria was never recovered… Keep this next bit from Lacer by the way or she might kill us… you too Saber." Shinji shot the Servant of the sword who had been attentively listening up to this point a hard look.

"I promise as long as my King does not directly ask, I shall not bring it up Cavall."

Leo glanced at his knight. "Cavall?"

Even Shinji looked perplexed. What the fuck was this vague meme shit here? He better not be getting a dog in Welsh or something.

Gawain smiled wistfully. "Yes, my King's former hunting hound." Shinji scowled. What the fuck was up with the dog theme this Faction had? Did he smell or something? Atalante was smirking, Shinji glaring at her to stop. "He… she," he corrected hastily, "Was rather fond of him."

'_My nickname is that of a legendary dog? What the fuck guys? I mean fucking really! And really, really stop it Atalante. I know you can read my thoughts damn it!' _Shinji mused. Atalante took the time to scowl and hmmphed in annoyance. He then dropped the bomb. "The catalyst the Magus Killer used to summon King Arthur in the last Grail War was Avalon."

Shinji wished he had a camera on him in that moment for both of the poofters, yeah Gawain too eyes widened comically, and their jaws simultaneously dropped.

"The holy sheath, it was recovered?" Gawain said in awed hushed tones.

Shinji gave a curt nod. "That's what I managed to figure out. The Einzbern never managed to recover it either… what's more out of a casualty list of five hundred people when the Fuyuki Fire broke out, only one person survived, who just so happened to be saved personally by Kiritsugu. Who he then adopted… my best friend, Shirou Emiya."

Leo realized the real reason Shinji wanted him to go to school with him. "Ah so that's it."

"What?"

Leo accused with no heat in his tone. "You don't want to fight your friend do you Shinji?"

Shinji looked away muttering. "The idea doesn't thrill me no. Even though I was an asshole, he was always nice to me… having to fight him… tch." He raised his voice a little and almost shouted at Leo. "I wasn't lying about you needing to pull your weight you know?!"

Leo let out an amused laugh. "Of course, Shinji and how better to do that than to fight your friend so you don't have to?"

Shinji glared but said nothing. Leo waved his pout off. Fucking poofter wasn't as dumb as he thought. It was a good lesson learned. It seemed the guy was not in a 'strangle the dog moment'. "Don't be like that. I'll do it of course. As your master it's my job to take care of things like this."

Shinji felt compelled to warn Leo just what he was getting himself into. "Don't go getting the wrong idea! Emiya… he's stubborn. Like a dog with a bone. Once he gets an idea in his head nothing stops him."

Leo smirked in anticipation a gleam of something akin to excitement now in Leo's eyes. "I look forward to meeting him. He sounds quite interesting."

* * *

Shinji had silently made his way back to the Matou Estate. For most of the way there, Archer had kept quiet for she knew her Master was deep within his own thoughts. Yet, as they neared the wrought iron gates, she called out to him.

"Shinji?"

He turned and looked at the Servant who had silently been following in his wake. "Yeah Atalante? What is it?"

"Are you that hesitant to fight your friend?"

With his hands folded behind his head, Shinji replied, "Sort of? Emiya's… weird. He always put up with my crap. That is until he found out about how I treated Sakura. Our relationship cooled after that." Shinji shrugged helplessly, "Then I left."

Atalante nodded even she wasn't thrilled with her Master when she saw his memories and how he treated his adopted sibling, but he was genuinely trying to change. "We should get inside and check on Sakura."

"Yeah."

Shinji opened the door and just stared. For Sakura had her hair done up in a loose ponytail and she was currently running through a set of twelve tires only to drop and do a set of pushups only to jump up and latch onto a solid iron bar that looked to be nailed into the nearby doorway to start doing pull ups. Sakura, who was just wearing an overly long tee-shirt was sweating profusely and looked miserable.

"What the hell is going on here?"

"Oh dear," Atalante mused as she peeked in past Shinji's head. The 'ears' on her head twitched. Her paw, sorry her hand was over her mouth in amusement. "I never expected Hippolyta would do something like this."

Shinji glanced at his Servant. "This being? As right now, I was thinking she was trying the most drawn out way of killing my sister."

The devotee of Artemis elaborated dutifully. She still had a shit eating grin on her face. "The fabled Amazoness training regimen."

Rider was standing on the sidelines watching Sakura as she went through the makeshift course. Shinji made his way over to the Servant. "What the hell Rider! I told you yesterday that Sakura was supposed to be resting today."

Rider greeted Shinji cheerfully despite his outburst. Dear god, Shinji had realized now that Atalante was not unique. All Greek women were trolls! This was karma for hurting his sister! For not putting that ten-pound note into the charity bin!

"Ah Matou-san hello!"

'_I'll hello you missy,'_ Shinji thought, thanking the gods Hippolyta was not his servant for his thoughts weren't being transmitted to this she-devil punishing his sweet sister. She looked far too… With the sweat soaking through her gym outfit! Gah! His sister was being demure! Shinji had to lock his sister up before Shirou saw her!

"Nii… Nii-san… good morning!" Sakura said through gasps, managing to smile at him. Shinji mentally added buying a guard dog trained to sniff for Shirou's balls.

Shinji pointed at his gasping sister and told the Servant of the Mount flatly, "She should be resting."

Sakura made her way over, having finally regained her breath. "Please don't be angry with Rider, Nii-san, I asked her to do this."

Shinji fixed his gaze on Sakura and quirked an eyebrow. "What is this exactly?"

Sakura fidgeted by playing with her hair, "Well, I asked Rider to train me how to be an Amazon."

Shinji pinched the bridge of his nose. "Dare I ask why?"

Sakura looked away while rubbing her shoulder. "I don't think you'd understand Nii-san…"

Shinji crossed his arms and smirked. "Oh yeah? Try me."

"Master wishes to win the heart of her beloved." Rider answered for her. It was the worst case scenario! Shinji would need to have to lock Sakura up, for the sake of her safety of course… not because he didn't want his pure sister having relations with a boy… never mind Shirou! Where did Zouken keep his antique World War Two Arisaka rifle? He was going hunting for some horny teenagers! "Yet she lacks confidence. So, we are working on building that confidence. Once she is physically strong, she will be emotionally strong."

"Rider!" Sakura protested, a blush overtaking her cheeks. Why couldn't it have been a machine gun?

Shinji blinked owlishly for a minute, recapping his own thoughts, finding them utterly hilarious because they were not Shinji from years past. That cunt was well a cunt before he burst out laughing. "I see, your right Sakura, I really wouldn't understand. After all, I'm not the one trying to get in Emiya's pants."

Sakura puffed her cheeks out due to Shinji's teasing. "Nii-san!" She let it go the moment Shinji's stomach rumbled. Sakura gave him a curious glance. "Have you eaten yet today Nii-san?"

"No…" Shinji admitted.

Sakura nodded before heading to the kitchen, causing Shinji to protest. "You don't need to cook on my account!"

"I'm not," Sakura called back, "I haven't eaten yet either."

"Oh," Shinji chuckled. He would play along for some good food. "Well, ok then."

As pans clanged together on the stove, Sakura called from the kitchen, "Could you set the table for four Nii-san?"

"Sure, sure." A quick search through the cupboards revealed plates and chopsticks and Shinji quickly had the table set for four.

Sakura, still looking like the start of a plumber porn film, her voice pretty much spewing the line, '_I need someone to fix my U-bend,'_ to his disdain came out shortly after carrying a traditional Japanese breakfast. Miso soup, rice, and omelets. "I remember you said you missed traditional food, so I thought you'd enjoy this."

He appreciated it but wished she would go get a shower.

"Thanks. Itadakimasu!" Shinji dug into his meal with gusto. "This is great Sakura, I guess you going over to Emiya's everyday has its perks huh?"

"Nii-san…" Sakura beamed at his offhand praise. For the first time, the Matou house felt like a home and not a decrepit prison.

"Speaking of, you should pack a bag and talk to him about staying over today. Hell, say it's a favor from me if you have to alright?"

"But you just got back," Sakura protested. "Wouldn't that be a little awkward? To be requesting a favor so soon?"

"Pff," Shinji snorted. "Emiya knows what I'm like. He probably won't bat an eyelid."

"But…" Sakura raised her voice a bit, "You're not like that anymore."

Shinji smiled. "But he doesn't know that now does he?"

"Taking advantage of your opponent's known traits about you… you are a very cunning man Shinji Matou," Hippolyta said as she finished off her rice bowl and held it out for seconds.

Due to her tone, Shinji didn't know whether to feel complimented or insulted. "Um… Thank you?" he ventured after a moment's pause. '_I think anyway.'_

The Queen of the Amazons clarified her statement seeing his confusion. "I meant no offense; it was a compliment of sorts. You are the type of warrior whose most dangerous weapon is his mind. They are typically the most dangerous for theirs is a weapon which cannot be seen until it is too late."

Atalante agreed with Hippolyta's assessment of her Master. As she handed back her rice bowl for a refill, she added in her own two cents. "Indeed, Master is quite cunning. He has the mindset of a hunter in that respect. I believe that is why I was summoned as his Servant in the first place. Speaking of Master, don't you believe it wise to inform Sakura of the new arrivals to expect at school today?"

Sakura cocked her head to the side curiously at that, prompting Shinji to explain.

"One or two of my own faction members are going to be joining me at school starting today. Since both Emiya and Tohsaka will be there, and they don't want me to be outnumbered while at school. They will be bringing their Servants with them. You'll know them when you see them. Do your best to keep away from them alright? It could look bad for you if you're seen interacting with them by Emiya or Tohsaka."

Sakura nodded. "I'll do my best Nii-san."

Shinji stood up from the table. "Right, I need to be getting back. I'll let you get on with getting ready for school seeing as you look well enough to go." Shinji smirked at little as he finished. Damn, it had taken an age to put this into conversation without losing his composure. "Might I suggest a shower first and foremost?"

"Shut up Nii-san!" Sakura blushed crimson and looked away, cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk. "I'm sure you can see yourself out."

Shinji just laughed at her annoyed face. "Yeah, yeah I sure can. Don't forget to pack an overnight bag. Seeya at school."

As Master and Servant exited the Matou Estate, Shinji glanced at his Servant and asked hopefully, "I don't suppose this counts as me treating you to a meal does it?"

"It does not," Atalante said firmly. "Sakura was the one who treated me. You still owe me a meal."

Shinji snapped his fingers.

"Damn."

Where could he find catnip in this city?

* * *

Shirou was awoken from his usual dream about the hill overlooking the golden wheatfield by his doorbell ringing. Not his bounded field going off, that would resound in his head, but his actual doorbell. He glanced at his digital clock.

It read 6:30am. If this was another challenge from a rival gang someone was going to spend a lot of time with the doctors and nurses at the hospital.

Shaking the cobwebs out of his head, Shirou wondered for a moment who could be at his door so early in the morning. '_Tohsaka did say she would be coming by in the morning with school uniforms, but I didn't think she'd come by at this hour.'_ The ringing got more incessant prompting Shiro to hurriedly pull on a pair of pants and a loose t-shirt. "I'm coming, I'm coming hold on." Shirou answered the door and almost leaped back in revulsion thinking a vampire was loose in Fuyuki City. "Tohsaka?" He ventured warily.

Rin was standing at his door, half slumped, her usually bright and teasing aquamarine eyes were now black ringed, bloodshot, even her hair was slightly disheveled. This was not the school idol Shirou was used to seeing.

So many idiots at his school would commit ritual suicide seeing her like this.

"Uhhhh..." Rin said, her eyes lifting just enough to tell him that Rin was not a vampire or dead.

"Tohsaka… is everything alright?" Shirou asked hesitantly, his hand dancing as he really wanted to make sure and check her pulse.

Miyu popped up behind her legal guardian. "Oh, don't mind Rin-nee-san sempai. She just hasn't had her morning coffee yet and hasn't woken up."

"Stupid Miyu… too loud." Rin moaned out like someone possessed, before shuffling forwards and pressing two uniforms into Shirou's arms. "Emiya here… clothes. Coffee now? Coffee now."

Shirou could actually hear the threat that would come afterwards if coffee was not provided.

Shirou awkwardly accepted the gifts and stood aside. "Won't you come in?" It wasn't like he had any choice.

Tohsaka shuffled forward like a zombie, only she didn't groan about brains. She had a different craving. "Coffee, coffee, coffee."

Tomoe bowed before entering Shirou's home. At least someone waited before they were directed inside albeit he was okay with Miyu. It was impossible to be mad at Miyu. "Shirou-dono. I hope you had a pleasant sleep?"

Shirou nodded. "I did thanks. Come inside, its cold out there. Same with you Miyu, Serenity-san."

"Sorry for intruding so early." Miyu apologized as she kicked off her shoes and swapped them out for house slippers. The young girl grabbed her older sister's feet and placed slippers on each foot. "Nee-san insisted we get her early, she even skipped her morning coffee as you can see."

"Pardon the interruption, Shirou-san," Serenity said in an upbeat tone, appearing out of Presence Concealment behind her Master and flashing him a smile.

"Come in you three, I'll make you something warm to drink." Shirou did just that, making himself busy in the kitchen as his guests got themselves settled, or in Rin's case laid face flat on his table.

Soon enough however, the robust smell of coffee roused her from her perpetual slump. With a steaming hot mug of black lifegiving nectar in front of her, Rin chugged it down like a zombie would nosh on a human brain. The empty mug landed on the table with an audible thump and Rin let out a sigh of relief. It was a relief to him too as the zombie joke was getting a bit stale.

"Ahh, I'm alive!"

Shirou chuckled at that. Now she looked like a pixie. "Welcome to the land of the living Rin."

Rin's head snapped to the face of the smiling Shirou. She blushed the same color as her sweater. Yep, she was just missing her wings and pixie wand.

"S…S…Shirou-kun?!" Rin glanced around and found she was in his house of all places. "What, how?" She looked to her little sister, "Miyu, how?"

Miyu looked at her older sister figure and sighed. "I tried to get you to drink coffee first, but you were so insistent nee-san."

Rin let out a 'meep!' as she turned to Shirou and asked, "So then… you saw me… like that?!" Rin looked about ready to cry; her pride would be absolutely crushed if he said what she thought he would.

If Shirou could read minds he would be alarmed she was wondering where she could put his body after she killed him to keep his silence.

Shirou tapped his chin as if in thought. "You mean you doing your best impression of the walking dead? Yes. Honestly for a minute there, I thought a vampire was in town."

"Gah!" Rin choked. "I… can I use your bathroom Emiya-kun?"

"Go right ahead, it's down the hall on your right." Shirou pointed toward the door and Rin all but ran down the hallway. "Taiga keeps her spare makeup in the cabinet."

The door shut with an audible bang and moments later a shriek could be heard. "EEK! Miyu! Archer! how could either of you let me leave the house like this!?"

"You were very insistent Master," Tomoe called out. "When I confronted you, you said you would use a Command Seal to get me to move faster."

Rin's groan was not unlike a certain Shinji's from earlier.

"Very insistent," Miyu agreed. Oh, thank you, sempai." Miyu happily accepted the offered plate of food. The dazzling smile was powerful enough to power the lights in the whole house.

Musashi and Jeanne made their entrances then lured out of their rooms by Rin's cries of embarrassment, probably having never heard a seal lion before and the smell of Shirou's cooking. Musashi had just finished putting her hair up in its messy ponytail when Shirou noticed the two.

"Good morning Musashi, Jeanne. Did you both sleep well?"

The two nodded, with Saber chipping in, "Like a baby Master, what's for breakfast?"

"Omelets, rice, and miso. I made plenty so dig in."

Saber grinned like a child on Christmas morning upon seeing the table laden with food. "Yay! Itadakimasu!" Saber laid into the food like she was a starving wolf who'd stumbled upon a wounded deer.

Despite the fact that Saber was eating as fast as she was, she still had perfect etiquette, something that amazed Shirou and Jeanne both. The Maiden of Orleans was pulled out of her daze by a nudge to the arm. "You'd better get in there unless you want to go hungry."

A fire burned in Jeanne's eyes as the Saintess picked up her weapons in the form of chopsticks. "Right!"

The Saintess rushed into the fray and proceeded to fight with Assassin, Archer and Saber for her portion of the food.

'_I'm going to have to go shopping after school today on top of everything else,' _Shirou noted that Servants really packed it away. He was glad he had the foresight to make himself, Miyu and Rin plates of food before setting the rest out for the voracious Heroic Spirits.

"Thanks for breakfast Shirou-kun," Rin said promptly having finished her plate of food. "Miyu and I will go shopping after school today to reimburse you for this… this." Rin waved her hand over the breakfast war that was still ongoing Archer and Saber were dueling with their chopsticks over the last omelet only for Ruler to snatch it out from under the both of them, causing them to glare at her.

Shirou laughed at little at the scene only for it to die in his throat when his front door slammed open and a very familiar voice called out that caused him to turn ash white. "SHIROOU! Your favorite big sister is here for breakfast!"

"Oh shit, it's Fuji-nee!" Shirou swore to himself. He almost hit the deck like a shootout between angry gang members.

Saber quirked an eyebrow. "Whose Fuji-nee aniki?"

Even Rin was surprised for a moment when their English teacher trapezed into the room like she owned the place, a bright smile on her face. A smile that seemed to freeze in place when she noticed all the women present, none of whom were Sakura. The smile on her face quickly became sharp and dangerous looking.

Shirou slowly took a step forward, holding his hands out so as not to provoke a response from the angry Taiga like how one would handle a bear just out of hibernation, you know the body position that bought you around three seconds before being savagely beaten.

"Fuji-nee, I can explain…"

A growl rose from Taiga's throat which eventually came out in a roar.

"UNFORGIVABLE!" A shinai decorated with black tiger stripes was pulled out from behind Taiga's back like magic and she swung it with full force at her ward's head intent on disciplining him for his deviant behavior… only the weapon never reached him.

"There will be none of that." Musashi moved quick as lightning and blocked the strike, catching it between two crossed chopsticks. She locked eyes with Taiga saying firmly, "There will be no hitting of aniki in his own house."

If Taiga Fujimura took pride in one thing besides being a teacher, it was her swordsmanship skills. For someone she'd never met to block her strike with nothing but a pair of wooden chopsticks with one hand no less rattled her to the core but even more so were the words that had just come out of her mouth.

"Shirou," Taiga said in a too sweet tone. "Why is this girl calling you aniki?"

Shirou rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Well you see… that's because… I got nothing."

"I'm afraid this is all my fault Fujimura-sensei," Rin spoke up, her 'Idol mask' on and in full force. He could kiss her for the save. Miyu for some reason scowled for a second there. Could she read minds?

Taiga's head snapped to Rin's smiling face. If this kept up she was liable to get whiplash. "Tohsaka-san? What the…? How are you connected to all this?"

Rin frowned and Shirou was beginning to think she deserved an Oscar for the performance she was putting on. At the moment she was putting all known serriyuu's to shame. "As you know, my house is rather large, and no one lives there but Miyu and myself, so I've taken to renting out the spare rooms. However, I recently discovered my roof needed repairs and Shirou was gracious enough to put us up at his house for a while."

Taiga slowly nodded. She could accept that. It certainly sounded like something her little brother would do. "Ok, but why's she," Taiga motioned to Musashi with a nod of her head. "Calling Shirou aniki?"

"My, my," Saber began sounding rather coy, "One might think you were jealous or something Taiga-san?"

The English teacher squawked in indignation. "I am not! I… you… who are you anyway?!"

Saber stood and gave a borderline mocking bow. "Harunobu Shimen at your service. As for why I'm calling him aniki well, maybe I just like him… a lot." Saber stuck her tongue out at the end.

"Shimen-san, please stop." Shirou all but begged from the sidelines.

Taiga narrowed her eyes at this girl borderline woman in front of her. "Is that so?"

"Yep. Shirou is pretty cute," She glanced Shirou's way and chastised. "I thought I told you to call me Haru-chan, Shirou-kun?"

Miyu, Serenity, Rin, and Tomoe all felt like they had daggers stabbed into their hearts at the exact same time when Saber said those words.

Shirou sent his Servant a deadpan glare. "Right, my mistake _Haru-chan_." The warning edge in her Master's tone let Musashi know she was currently skating on thin ice even with his near infinite patience.

The twitching vein on the side of Taiga's head looked ready to explode at any moment. "Haru-chan is it eh, Shirou?"

"At her insistence yes. Why don't you get something to eat Taiga? I saved you a plate in the kitchen."

The promise of food mollified the angry tiger. Yet Taiga still found it fit to sulk. "Only one plate? How cruel of you Shirou!" Taiga stopped as she was passing Shirou noticing something she'd overlooked in her anger… "Shirou… when did you get that scar on your cheek?"

Shirou's jaw unhinged slightly, he'd forgotten completely about the scar on his cheek. "Ah, last night. I got in a fight." It wasn't a lie, even if Scáthach was toying with him for the most part, for Shirou it was a fight for his life.

Taiga huffed. "Your first scar. You know what this means don't you…" Taiga grinned. "We're gonna have to celebrate! Just wait till I tell everyone! Make sure you head straight to Gramp's place after school. Man, I'm so excited… and you only made me one plate of food!"

"You could always find your free food somewhere else you know?!" He called to her retreating back as she raced into the kitchen. He turned to his sheepish looking Servant. "What the hell was that about?"

"Sorry, sorry. I figured if I got her riled up enough, she'd forget all about the aniki thing. It usually works in my fights, so I thought I'd give it a shot."

Rin didn't consider Saber's ploy a total loss. "Well, at least we know what to put on her transcripts now Harunobu Shimen-chan."

Shirou reluctantly nodded. "That's true. What about you Jeanne any preferences?"

Ruler pondered the question for a moment. "Romée maybe? It was my mother's maiden name."

"Jeanne Romée and Harunobu Shimen… I can work with that." Rin made a couple of notes in a small notepad before nodding to herself.

Taiga came out of the kitchen looking satisfied and much calmer, which Shirou was thankful for. "That was great as always Shirou, thanks for the meal."

The redheaded magus gave his big sister a smile. "Anytime Fuji-nee. I'd like to introduce you to our two new transfer students, Harunobu Shimen and Jeanne Romée."

Taiga was thrown for a loop. "Eh, you two are transferring in today?! I didn't hear anything of this?!"

Jeanne stepped in then, smoothing everything over. "It was last minute. We apologize for any trouble this may cause." Ruler bowed and Saber followed suit.

Taiga waved off their apology. "Hey, hey don't worry about it. Tohsaka-san, do you have their transcripts? If you give them to me, I can have everything sorted by the time you kids get to school."

Rin blinked at their fortune but decided not to question it. "Right here Fujimura-sensei I'd just finished filling out the paperwork for Jeanne-san as it's a little too complicated for her." Rin sent a subtle bow of apology towards her Faction leader for the unmeant insult as she handed over the paperwork for the two Servants.

Taiga nodded. "Good, good. Don't worry, I'll have these filed with Principal-san," Taiga glanced at the clock. "Ah speaking of, I should be going! See you kids at school!"

The bang from the backfire of Taiga's scooter and the echo from the fading roar of its engine marked a return to what was really important.

"Well," Shirou said after he was sure his guardian was gone, "That was convenient."

"It was," Rin agreed. "I think it would be best if I hypnotized Fujimura-sensei not to come over till the Grail War has ended Shirou-kun." Rin held up her hands defensively as Shirou opened his mouth to object. "Please, let me finish." Shirou closed his mouth and nodded, allowing Rin to continue. "Thank you. As I was going to say, if one of the enemy Masters finds out about your connection to you, they could easily turn her into a spy. If we force her not to come here till the War is finished and she randomly shows up, we'll know someone's gotten to her."

Ruler was the first to voice her opinion on Rin's plan. "That is a sound plan, though I dislike the idea of tampering with another's mind, I cannot argue with the results."

"But the idea of knowing when the enemy is spying on us does sound appealing." Musashi mused ever the pragmatist.

Serenity popped out from Presence Concealment; having hidden the moment she heard the front door open. "I see the logic in Rin's plan but do not like the idea of mental manipulation. Could we perhaps modify the plan a bit?"

Shirou sighed in relief happy that Ruler and Assassin at least didn't like the idea of hypnotizing his surrogate big sister. "I don't like the idea of hypnosis either. Wouldn't it just be easier and safer if we have Ruler talk to her alone for like five minutes? She has Charisma as a skill, doesn't she?"

"Shirou is correct, it would be simple for me to persuade her not to come by for a time." Ruler liked Shirou's suggestion.

The third-rate magus wasn't done, however. "Having Ruler talk with Fuji-nee should be our backup plan though. Rin and I are going to talk to the Fujimura-gumi after school today. I refuse to leave my Boss and sempai in the dark, not after all they've done for me. Especially not after a Servant has all but started a gang war in this city," Shirou looked to Ruler. "I'd like you to come with me, but I can't force you… but I won't let you stand in my way either."

Ruler met Shirou's gaze with one of her own. "As a Ruler it is my job to ensure the Grail War goes as it is supposed to…" She smiled as she finished. "As your commander however, I cannot help but admire your resolve to protect the people precious to you even if it means breaking the rules of the Grail War. Very well, I shall join you in your meeting. We all will go. That is my first order as the Commander of the Yellow Faction."

Shirou released the breath he was holding. He knew despite his insane luck so far, that he stood no chance against Ruler. She could shut down Musashi with a couple of Command Spells and force him to his knees with little effort on her part. With him being unarmed at the moment, Shirou had little to no hope of defeating her should she decide to '_discipline'_ him.

Shirou bowed in thanks to his Commander. "Thank you for understanding Ruler."

Ruler gave her subordinate a warm smile and an understanding nod. "This is not my first-time leading troops Shirou. I understand the morale means everything in war. If this will set your mind at ease and help you focus on the War and get us some much-needed allies, then all the better for us."

"Allies in what capacity? Surely you don't expect them to fight?" Shirou was worried for the safety of the Fujimura-gumi.

Ruler waved a hand. "No of course not. I was thinking more along the lines of scouts. People who keep out of the way but keep their ears to the ground and eyes out for anything unusual. There is more to war than being on the frontlines Shirou. Information is the lifeblood of warfare." Seeing Shirou was relieved, Ruler finished, "Now, I believe we should all finish getting ready for the day. I need to let out these clothes for Musashi… ah excuse me, _Harunobu-san_ and myself."

Everyone agreed and scattered. Shirou left to the dojo where the old man's sword sat at its shrine. Taking it with reverence Shirou slipped it into a sword bag and slung it over his shoulder. Bowing to the black and white picture of Kiritsugu, Shirou prayed. "Look after me just a little longer old man. I may not agree with everything I've heard you did, and being a hero must've been hard for you, but don't worry. I'll keep going. I'm going to do it different. I've got some pretty great friends. I think you'd approve of them."

Shirou turned to find Musashi standing not too far behind him. She was already dressed in a school uniform and Shirou had to admit, she wore it well. The skirt cut off just above her knee, the long black socks covered most of her legs, and the short black skirt hinted at her pale thighs every time it swayed when she moved. She wore the typical vest over the white shirt, both of which accentuated her bust, with a red ribbon tied around her neck. Musashi still had her hair clip in allowing her to show off a bit of originality.

"You look great Harunobu-san." He complimented her sincerely.

She frowned a bit. "You can use my actual name when we're not in school you know?"

Shirou decided to indulge her. "You pull off the school uniform perfectly Musashi."

That earned him a smile. "You think so? I'm glad. I'm not so sure about this school thing but I guess I'll give it a shot."

Shirou figured now was a good a time as any to ask. "Speaking of schooling, I was wondering if you'd do me a favor?"

"Sure, what's up?" Musashi was very carefree.

Bowing Shirou made his plea. "Would you teach me how to use the sword?"

The Servant of the Sword was thrown for a loop. "Eh, you want to learn from me? Really?"

Shirou rose from his bow. "Yeah? Would you? I think it would help if I was properly trained on how to fight."

"You seemed to have a personal style that worked fairly well from what I saw." Musashi commented.

Shirou rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, that. I wouldn't call it a style really, more like a survival instinct ingrained into me by Taiga." Seeing his Servant's curious gaze Shirou elaborated. "When I was younger, my old man and Taiga would spar with me, here in this dojo." Shirou looked over the gleaming wooden hall with a wistful look in his eyes. "Back then and even now, Fuji-nee didn't really know how to hold back. The only way I lasted more than five seconds was by leaving intentional openings in my defense."

"If you knew where she was going to attack, you could counter preemptively and thus hold out against a superior opponent. It's sneaky, I approve." Musashi praised. "I also notice you prefer a dual weapon style already, does that also have to do with Fujimura-san?"

"Not exactly no. I got that idea from Taiga's Ojiisan, Raiga, my Boss, the Oyabun of the Fujimura-gumi. He gave me something that inspired me," Shirou picked up the scroll from where he'd left it near the shrine the previous night. "Have a look."

Musashi carefully unfolded the scroll and her eyes widened as she read. "Book of Five Rings, by Miyamoto Musashi?" The Servant flicked her gaze back to her Master. "So, the Musashi in this world was famous huh? Wow, that's really something!"

Shirou quirked an eyebrow. "In this world? What do you mean?"

Musashi rubbed the back of her head. "My, my, how do I explain? I am not really this world's Musashi. I'm from a different parallel world. In my world, I never wrote this book," She skimmed it over briefly. "I can certainly see where he was coming from though. Yeah this makes a lot of sense. Book of Void huh? What an insightful guy."

Shirou stroked his nonexistent beard. "Parallel world huh? I guess that explains why you can't go into astral form. If you just got pulled from a parallel world instead of being summoned like a normal Servant."

Musashi nodded, confirming his theory. "Yeah that's pretty much what happened. The Greater Grail offered me a chance to compete in this Grail War. It sounded fun, so I said yes, and ended up contracted to you, not that I mind in the least bit!" She hastily added.

"Don't worry I know what you meant."

"Are you two ready we need to get going!" Rin called out to them.

Shirou turned to his partner. "Ready for your first day of school partner?" He held out his hand to her.

"Yosh! Let's go!" Musashi smiled and took his hand in hers.

Rin saw the two holding hands and scowled. "Let's get going or we'll be late!"

Miyu cocked her head to the side upon seeing the two holding hands but decided to think nothing of it. The Servant-Master relationship was a special bond after all, as Master and Servant would see each other's thoughts and life through dreams. Miyu had come to think of Serenity like another sister not counting the odd pangs in her heart she had the other night when she was smiling so warmly at sempai.

"Are we all ready?" Jeanne asked her assembled Faction members. The Saintess received various nods. "Then let us depart."

* * *

Shirou expected some muttering by passersby as they made their way towards school, but people were blatantly stopping and staring at them as they walked down the street and breaking out into groups and whispering.

After the tenth or so time of this happening, Shirou was getting fed up. '_Seriously guys have some tact.'_

As the group turned the corner, they ran into the Track Trio who seemed to be waiting on something or someone impatiently. Being the first to spot him, Kaede Makidera spouted out. "There you are Emiya! What kept you?!"

Shirou's eyebrows rose to his hairline. "Um, good morning Kaede-san?"

Kane bowed careful to keep her glasses from falling off her face. "Good morning Emiya-san, Tohsaka-san, Miyu-chan. We were wondering if it would be alright if we walked with you to school? We would not want for another altercation like the other day to occur again."

"Good morning Shirou-san Tohsaka-sempai, Miyu-chan. Who are your new friends?" Yukika was the only one of the three to acknowledge the two Servants.

Shirou spoke for the group. "It's fine I don't mind if you walk with us. These are Harunobu Shimen and Jeanne Romée, they're new transfer students."

Saber nodded and smiled at the trio giving them a wave. "Yo, how's it going?"

Ruler was more formal bowing. "Hello, nice to meet you three."

Kaede got excited. "Transfer students huh? Maybe we'll get lucky and have them in our class. Hi, I'm Kaede Makidera, this is Kane Himuro, and the quiet one is Yukika Saegusa."

Kaede-san!" Yukika protested. "Don't go around introducing me like that please!"

Saber chuckled. "I like you three. I think we'll get along just fine."

"Yes, they seem quite lively." Jeanne agreed.

As the group continued on Yukika asked the occasional question. Himuro and Kaede were content just to listen. "Jeanne-san where do you come from originally if you don't mind my asking?"

"France, the town of Domrémy… la-Pucelle." Ruler stumbled over the last two words, for the Greater Grail had informed her that her village had been renamed in her honor as she spoke.

"Your Japanese is flawless." Kane complimented, while fixing her glasses.

Jeanne accepted the compliment with a nod of her head. "Thank you. I also know English and French of course."

"A polyglot? Wow." Kaede sounded impressed.

Kane jabbed at her friend, "I'm surprised you knew that word Kaede."

"Hey, I know words!" The Panther of Homurahara growled.

As the two bickered, Yukika questioned Saber. "So Shimen-san where do you come from?"

Saber opened her mouth for a second. "Hyogo prefecture."

Yukika's eyes widened. "That's quite a way away," Kaede and Kane stopped bickering to listen. "Are you staying here with family or something?"

The Trio was concerned for if she was from Hyogo Prefecture, she was a long way from home, as Fuyuki was located on the island of Kyushu in the Kumamoto Prefecture.

Saber rubbed her head. "Not really no. My old man and I, we didn't really get along. So, one day, I just up and left and have been traveling ever since." Technically it wasn't a lie. The Trio just didn't get the exact context.

Yukika ended up bowing in apology. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to pry."

Saber was quick to reassure the girl. "Hey, hey don't worry about it, it happened a while ago, it's not that big of a deal to me anymore so I don't mind talking about it."

The group turned the corner to see Homurahara Academy in sight, but what caught Shirou's eye was the Rolls Royce with smoke coming out of it's open hood. Handing his sword bag to his Servant, Shirou raced over to help, reaching into his bag and pulling out a small tool belt he kept on him since he was constantly fixing things for Issei during school hours.

Seeing an elderly man in a pristine black and white butler uniform with polished black shoes and bowtie, his steely grey hair swept back upon his head and a thick moustache covering his upper lip, Shirou greeted him in English. "Are you having car trouble sir?"

The man glanced up from the engine. "Yes, engine won't start," Seeing the tools in the young boy's hands the man inquired. "Do you know anything about cars young man?"

Shirou nodded. "I do, I fix up motorcycles for money on the side. I also know someone who owns a Rolls Royce, so this is familiar territory." Shirou popped his head under the hood. "Let's see what we've got here."

Shirou looked around the engine and couldn't find an immediate problem. So, as he was wont to do, he converted one of his many nerves into magic circuits and whispered. "_**Trace on."**_

A blueprint of the Rolls Royce engine appeared in Shirou's mind and he was quickly able to ascertain what was wrong. Reaching into his tool belt, he pulled out a small box from his tool belt.

"I think I found the problem sir, one of your spark plugs quit working."

Shirou pulled out the offending plug, causing the butler to glare at it. Shirou then replaced it just as easily, smiling at a job well done, glad he could assist someone in need.

"That should do it sir, try starting the car now."

The butler got behind the wheel and started the car. It sputtered for just a moment before roaring to life. The elderly man stuck his head out the window and called. "That did it youngster! You have my thanks." Shutting off the engine, the man got back out and bowed. "Forgive me for not introducing myself. I am Niko IIvari."

The teen bowed respectfully. "Shirou Emiya, nice to meet you IIvari-san."

Since Shirou's head was down at the time, he never saw the elderly man's eyes widen in shock at the mention of his surname. The man recovered by the time the boy raised his head however, for he was a professional mercenary, butler, and bodyguard to the current heiress to the Edelfelt Family, the Hyena's above ground.

"Thank you again for your help young man, I appreciate it." Niko got into the driver's seat and shut the door, only to have a brief conversation with his mistress. Rolling down the window he hailed Shirou again. "Young man, my Mistress would like to thank you personally. If you would come around to the back of the car?"

Shirou quirked an eyebrow but didn't see the harm. He made his way around to the other side of the now functioning Rolls Royce, and a blacked-out window rolled down as he made his approach, revealing an elegant lady around his age, wearing a sky-blue dress, with her golden blonde hair done up in ringlets. She peered at him with emerald green eyes brimming with curiosity, a catlike smile on her face.

She held a pale hand out daintily. "Luviagelita Edelfelt, it seems I owe you my thanks Shero."

Shirou held back at wince at her mispronunciation of his name but since she was an obvious foreigner, he chose not to correct her. Taking her offered hand, he gave it a gentle shake. "Nice to meet you, Edelfelt-san."

A look of surprise crossed the woman's face for a moment before she let out a regal laugh. "Hohoho! You were supposed to kiss the back of my hand you know?"

A blush made itself known across Shirou's face. He had made a faux-pas, but he was flush at being told to kiss a woman's hand in public. One just didn't do such a thing in Japan.

His face caused Luviagelita to laugh again. "Goodness you are an amusing one, aren't you? I look forward to seeing you in class Shero."

"Ah, so your attending Homurahara then?" This surprised the third-rate magus.

The blonde aristocrat nodded. "Indeed. I decided to… broaden my horizons, so to speak."

Shirou nodded and gave her a smile. "I guess I'll see you around then Edelfelt-san."

Luvia batted her eyelashes playfully, "Please Shero, call me Luvia, all my friends do."

Shirou blushed again and gulped. "Right… see you around Luvia-san."

Luvia gave him a wave as the window rolled up. "Bye Shero."

Once the window rolled shut, Luvia turned to her silent companions one in particular who couldn't stop smirking at her. Luvia crossed her arms and huffed. "What might I ask, is so funny Shinji?"

The purple-haired boy smirked like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. "You were totally flirting with Emiya back there… and you totally butchered his name too."

Doing her best to suppress the blush on her face, the Finnish woman denied. "I am merely luring him into a false sense of security! If I can get him to trust me, he will hesitate for just a moment when I betray him. It is in that moment that I will cut him down."

Shinji remained unconvinced. "Sure Luvia, whatever helps you sleep at night. Just remember denial is more than just a river in Egypt."

"Whatever." Luvia dismissed his claims with a wave of her hand as she stared out the window at the passersby.

Leo silently watched the exchange between the two, Gawain in astral form beside him. Was this a natural part of human interaction? If so, he had much more to learn than he thought. '_Perhaps I should take notes.'_

Leo was pulled out of his thoughts when the car came to a stop in front of the Junior Highschool. His dog addressed him in a serious tone. "Ok Leo this is it, you know what you gotta do right?"

Leo nodded it was oh so simple in theory. "I am to act under the guise of a new transfer student. While in school I am to keep my eyes open for any potential enemy masters."

Shinji nodded. The guy understood the theory. Now let's see him put it into practice. "You got it now go in there, do your best to blend in and… good luck?" Shinji said the last bit with some hesitancy.

Leo didn't need luck he was the future king of humanity; it was his destiny to rule. But he took what his loyal hound said with a nod before opening the door of the Rolls Royce and going forth to mingle with his future subjects.

Shinji and Luvia watched as Leo walked across the courtyard, oozing his unnatural charisma which was causing everyone to stop and stare as he approached. The moment he smiled almost all the girls had hearts in their eyes and began crowding around him while the boy's some of whom just lost their girlfriends, gave the boy the evil eye.

The one girl who lingered back was Miyu Sakatsuki. She trembled with fear as she recognized the boy immediately. How could she not? He and his family had been hunting her down like a dog for years. Using their vast resources to track her family down, killing them like animals to get to her. She recalled the smell of smoke and the stench of the dead on that night… of hiding in the streets like a rat, lurking in the shadows and often avoiding his men by luck. Yet they spoke of their future king with reverence.

There was no way she couldn't recognize Leonardo Harwey.

'_What should I do? What should I do? Go get Neesan?'_ Miyu shook her head. '_No, she's worried enough as it is with the War going on. Shirou-sempai?'_

'_Master, might I suggest something?'_ Assassin interrupted her borderline frantic thoughts.

'_Yes Assassin?'_ Miyu inquired.

'_Might I try plying my trade?'_ The Servant of Murder suggested.

Miyu blinked. '_You mean you want to… assassinate him?'_

'_Yes Master, I am an Assassin after all. It's in my class designation.'_ Serenity couldn't help teasing her mistress just a little.

'_R…Right. Do you think you could do it?'_ Miyu highly doubted he came here unguarded.

'_Since he is a Master, all I would need to do is touch him to kill him. My poisonous body would do the rest.'_

'_What about potential Servants?' _Miyu asked.

'_He has a Servant with him, but I've no clue whom it could be. Astral Form is annoying in some regards.` Serenity_ huffed. '_No matter, I merely need to make physical contact with the boy. The Servant won't last long after that.'_

Miyu nodded, it made sense. And Assassin could actually do her job as a Servant. That is, take out enemy Masters, and thereby remove the Servants. Miyu's usually warm and gentle green eyes became hard and flinty, akin to pieces of sharp glass or cut emeralds. She too like her Neesan could be heartless when she needed to.

She came to a decision. For the family she'd lost… For all the time she'd spent on the street… For Rin-neesan… For her own peace of mind…

For Sempai.

'_Do it Assassin.'_

'_As you wish Master.'_

* * *

"Alright class," Taiga said in her usual over enthusiastic manner, "We have two new foreign students joining the class today," She shook her fist threateningly. "Be nice to them or else!"

"Yes Fujimura-sensei!" the class intoned not wanting to rouse the anger of the Tiger of Homurahara.

Taiga poked her head out into the hallway. "You can come in and introduce yourselves now."

The class let out a collective gasp as Saber and Ruler made their way into the classroom. Saber had an energetic grin on her face with her school bag over one shoulder while Ruler was holding hers with both hands in front of her looking every bit an elegant foreign beauty.

Even Shirou who had walked to school with the two, was quite taken with them both at that moment. Maybe it was the way the sunlight hit them just then, or how their personalities contrasted so sharply right next to each other while in school uniforms, but they both looked great in that moment.

Not one to mince words, Saber introduced herself first. "Hiya, I'm Harunobu Shimen, nice ta meet'cha. We'll all get along just fine as long as you don't steal my food."

The class laughed at Saber's attempt to break the ice. Shirou could already tell his Servant was going to be popular. From the whispers he was picking up, some of his male classmates were already considering asking her out.

Ruler gave the class a polite bow before speaking in flawless if French accented Japanese. "I'm Jeanne Romée. It's nice to meet you all. I do hope we can get along as I'll be in your care for the time being."

"Same, same, let's get along yeah?" Saber added hopefully.

The class all but cheered for the two they were so taken with them. Naturally, the boy's cheered the loudest at having two stunning women in their class. Even the girls were happy to have more females join the ranks though. As they had been slightly outnumbered up until now.

Taiga let them cheer for a minute, probably because she enjoyed seeing the looks of embarrassment on her new pupil's faces. But then she reeled everyone in. "Ok, that's enough, calm down everyone," When she was ignored by everyone sans her ward, Taiga brought out the infamous Tora Shinai, slamming it on her desk before she roared. "SHUT UP YA BUNCH OF BRATS!"

The students felt the bloodlust coming from the Tora Shinai, rumors were abound about their English Teacher's weapon. That once it tasted blood it wouldn't stop until its opponent was slain, or that once it was drawn it couldn't be put away until it tasted blood… One of the two. Either way none of the students wanted to find out which. So, they quieted down and let their teacher speak.

Clearing her throat and stowing away her infamous weapon which won her a hundred duels, Taiga continued. "Right you girls can go sit down next to Shirou and answer any questions your classmates have. We'll skip homeroom today and just move right into the English lesson yeah?"

Shirou knew the reason the seats on either side of him were vacant. '_Taiga's planning something… I know that mischievous gleam.'_

Sure, enough as the two went to sit down Taiga called out, "Emiya-san, since you've got all the same classes as these two, I expect you to show them around understand?"

Shirou felt the glares of all of his male classmates get sent his way as well as mutters of 'Lucky bastard'. "Yes Fujimura-sensei."

Saber shot him a grin. "Looks like we'll be in your care especially Emiya-san."

Ruler smiled sweetly. "Yes, please take good care of us."

The glares sent by his classmates intensified. "I'll do my best."

A semi derisive voice called out from the door, "So, what am I chopped liver?"

Taiga's neck turned to the door; her eyes widened. "Matou-kun, your back from studying abroad?"

Shinji stepped into the room in his biker attire. "Yo Fujimura-sensei. You look as good as ever."

Taiga flushed at the compliment but refused to let him have the upper hand. "Your not in uniform Matou-kun, what gives?"

"My time abroad has taught me uniforms are for cops and army men, and I'm neither. So, I'm not going to wear one."

"That's against the rules."

"Fuck the rules." Shinji said casually causing the class to mostly gasp. Shirou was just wondering what Shinji's deal was.

"Language!" Taiga said brandishing her Tora Shinai threateningly.

Shinji raised his hands in surrender. "Let me rephrase… I'm silently protesting following stupid rules. You should understand that better than anyone, right _Fujimura-sensei_?"

Taiga narrowed her eyes at her wayward pupil.

A silent tension mounted between the two and it was everyone could feel it. Finally, someone broke it.

"Must you be so antagonistic Shinji?"

A very familiar blonde made her way into the classroom putting her hands on her hips as she set a droll glare at Shinji. Shirou was so surprised he couldn't help himself from calling out.

"Luvia-san?"

Hearing her nickname being called Luviagelita searched out amongst the sea of students till she saw Shirou and waved. "Hello Shero."

The girls snickered at the mispronunciation of his name while the males once again glared at him. The nearest one elbowing him and saying, "Sheesh Emiya save some for the rest of us, will you?"

"What?" Shirou asked truly flummoxed.

Since she was already facing the class, Luvia introduced herself. "I am Luviagelita Edelfelt. I come from Finland, but I was studying in England when I met Shinji. He made Japan sound so interesting, I decided to Finnish my education here."

The students laughed at her joke, though it took a moment to get the pun.

"Ok you two go find some seats, looks like your popular Emiya-san." Taiga sent him a playful glare.

Shirou shrugged, he didn't recall doing anything in particular to be so well liked. "I've no idea why Fujimura-sensei."

Once the two sat down near the back of the class, all manner of questioning broke out, some gravitated towards Shinji and Luvia, but a majority came to talk to Saber and Ruler.

Kaede Makidara was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet finding a kindred spirit in Saber. "So, Harunobu-chan, you like sports?"

"Be careful," Kane told Saber, "She'll try to recruit you to the track team if she thinks you have talent."

Kaede blew her friend a raspberry. "Your awesome at the long jump though."

Kane fixed her glasses. "That's beside the point, I won't let you ensnare another person like you did us."

"Your making me sound like a diabolical villain or something!" Kaede waved her arms around in anger.

"Aren't you though?" Kane pointed out.

"So where are you staying Shimen-san, Romee-san?" Yukimura asked kindly, while ignoring her friends squabbling."

"We're staying with Emiya-san at his place." Saber replied easily.

All the chatter in the room stopped. All the students fixed their gazes on Shirou at the same time, even Shinji and Luvia.

"Damn Emiya, didn't know you have it in ya, good going man!" Shinji called out from behind him.

Shirou sighed. "Piss off Shinji," Shirou then sent a glare at his classmates. "Does anyone have a problem with me having extra rooms at my house and lending them out to people in need?"

One male student called out, "House, I thought you lived in an apartment?"

Saber injected herself back into the conversation. "No, Shirou lives in this huge traditional mansion. Nice cushy place… kind big for one person though."

"Shimen-san. You're not helping." Shirou told his Servant flatly.

"Party at Emiya's this weekend!" Someone called out from behind him. Shirou was pretty sure it was Shinji.

Shirou's eyes widened. "No, no, no! There will be no parties at my house!"

Taiga put an end to any potential party plans by slamming her Tora Shinai on her desk. Giving a faux sweet smile she spoke in a sickly-sweet tone, "Alright class that's enough for now. Time to hit the books!"

Shirou mouthed '_Thank you.'_ To his older sister figure before he opened his textbook. He got a wink and thumbs up.

A folded note landed in front of him. Seeing Taiga beginning her lecture, Shirou quickly opened it up and read its contents.

"_Meet us on the roof for lunch, we need to talk."_ _-Kaede._

Glancing over at the Panther of Homurahara her quirked an eyebrow at her_. 'Really?'_ his voiceless gesture said.

Kaede shot him a glare and nodded fiercely. '_Yes really idiot.'_

Shirou rolled his eyes and nodded. '_Fine I'll be there.'_

Kaede crossed her arms and looked smug for a moment before she focused on the lecture. '_As if you had a choice.'_

Shirou rolled his eyes. '_Women.'_

* * *

Shirou had better days at school. Gossip as it was, spread like wildfire at school and by lunchtime everyone not only knew he was the guide for the two new beauties on campus, but that they were living with him. Everyone in his year and above was sending him glares. A few of his seniors even tried getting into fights with him trying to 'protect the purity' of Harunobu-san and Romee-san. Shirou ended them all in one punch and spent more time in the principal's office in one day than he had in the entire two years he'd been attending Homurahara-gakuren.

'_Now I need to face a female inquisition… oh joy.'_ He thought as he made his way towards the roof.

He turned the corner and found a crowd in the hallway. He distinctly heard Issei yelling "I knew it!"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Shirou pushed his way forwards to the front of the crowd. He was surprised at what he found.

Rin Tohsaka, the school idol was looking practically murderous. Her preppy perfect façade was gone, replaced with an ice-cold glare befitting a magus. The person she was shooting such a vitriolic glare towards was none other than Luviagelita Edelfelt.

Luvia was returning Tohsaka's glare with interest. The foreigner managed to somehow look haughty and superior at the same time.

Both looked ready for a fight. Tohsaka had her legs and arms slightly bent fists clenched, while Luvia took what Shirou identified as a loose wrestler's stance. Shirou, his old man's sword still in its bag, quickly stepped between the two hoping to defuse the situation before it got out of hand.

"Alright, what's going on here you two?"

Rin practically growled. "Get out of the way Shirou-kun, this has nothing to do with you."

Luvia was daintily waving him off to the side. "Yes Shero, I don't want you getting hurt."

Shirou sent the Finnish woman a flat look. "I don't think you need to worry about that."

Rin tried to use his distraction to dash around him and lash out a Luvia, but Shirou casually smacked her on the head with his covered sword before he threw a front kick in Luvia's direction, doing what he could to keep the two away from each other.

Shirou's foot was caught not by the foreign student, but Souchirou Kuzuki. The usually silent and taciturn teacher caught Shirou's foot in his palm and held it there while looking at the boy in question. Taiga was standing behind the man looking between the two worriedly. "You should leave such things for the teachers Emiya-san."

Taiga nodded fiercely behind him. "Yeah that's right! You could get in trouble you know?!"

After he let Shirou go the boy gave a contrite boy. "I apologize sensei, but I'm not the type to stand by and do nothing you know."

Kuzuki gave a ghost of a nod. "I am well aware…" He paused before saying. "Also, you're kick needs work."

Shirou bowed sheepishly. "Yes sir."

Kuzuki then turned to Tohsaka. "Tohsaka-san I don't know what's going on between you and Edelfelt-san, but I would appreciate it if you left it till after school hours and preferably _not _on school property."

Taiga looked at her fellow sensei like he had a screw loose. "Umm Kuzuki-sensei… it kinda sounds like your telling them it's ok to kill each other as long as it doesn't happen at school."

Kuzuki glanced at Taiga. "Fujimura-sensei, it is our job to look after these children during school hours and while they are on school property… once they are not, it is a problem for their parents and police to handle what they get up to isn't it?"

A shiver ran through the students at how cold and callous Kuzuki was being at the moment. Even Taiga was a little creeped out. Shaking herself out of her funk the Tiger of Homurahara roared at the assembled students.

"Alright nothing to see here! Get to lunch you lazy bums!" The students scattered like flies, none of them wanting to catch the ire of an angry Taiga. Shirou tried to sneak off towards the rooftop stairs while his big sister figure was distracted, but fate it seemed, had a vendetta against him today. For Taiga reached out without looking and clamped a hand down on his shoulder. "Just where do you think you're going huh?"

"You said to go to lunch, I'm having it on the roof." Shirou replied, opening his jacket and revealing the bento he'd brought from home.

Taiga opened her mouth to argue then snapped it closed. She limply let him go and waved him away. "Just, just go and try to stop being sent to the principal's office!"

Shirou stopped and turned glancing behind him at Rin. "You alright Rin? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Rin glared at him and looked away in a huff. "I'm fine. You shouldn't have gotten involved idiot."

Shirou shrugged, "I didn't want you getting in trouble. I've already been sent to the principal's office several times today for fighting, so I figured one more wouldn't hurt."

Taiga waved her arms around frantically. "What kind of logic is that?!"

Rin smirked. "Shirou-logic Fujimura-sensei. It's best if you don't think too hard on it, you might hurt yourself."

Shirou gave her a deadpan glare. '_Well two can play at this game.' _He got his big sisters' attention, "Fujimura-sensei that reminds me, Rin and I need to come over after school today and talk to Raiga-san about something important. Isn't that right Rin?"

Rin stiffed for a moment before placing the sweetest, fakest smile she could on her face. "That right, I apologize in advance for the inconvenience Fujimura-sensei." Rin finished with a bow.

Taiga looked back and forth between her adopted brother and the school idol. "You need to see gramps? After school?"

"Yeah it's _important_." Shirou told her.

Taiga got the hint. "I'll let him know… But you know my mom is gonna give you an earful for never coming to visit right?" She warned Shirou ahead of time.

Shirou grimaced but nodded. He knew Naomi-san could be… overly affectionate. "So, can I go now?"

Taiga waved him away, "Yeah, yeah go on."

Silently thankful he was able to get away without getting roared at by his guardian, Shirou was _finally _able to meet the Track Trio on the roof.

* * *

"Your late!" those were the first words Shirou heard as he made his way onto the roof. They came from an irate Kaede.

Shirou humbly bowed in apology. "Sorry, sorry. I had to break up an altercation in the hallway on my way here."

Yukika looked at him worriedly. "You didn't get hurt did you Shirou-san?"

Shirou shook his head as he sat down. "No nothing like that. I just had to stop Rin and that new foreign girl, Luvia from going at it."

Yukika's mouth fell open in surprise. "Tohsaka-sempai was getting into a fight? That doesn't seem like her."

Shirou shrugged as he opened his bento. "She and Luvia seem to have bad blood with each other. Could be an old family grievance or something. I'm not really clear on the… details?" Shirou noticed the Track Trio eyed up his lunch with keen eyes. "Did you three forget to pack your lunches today?"

Kane cleared her throat. Yukika was in a rush this morning and didn't get to make lunches for the three of us."

Said girl clapped her hands together and bowed her head in apology. "I'm so sorry you two. Things have been tight at home lately and I haven't been able to go to the store and…"

Kaede waved her off. "Don't worry about it. Things happen."

Shirou understood the situation and did the only thing he could. He pushed his lunch towards the three. "Here."

The three girls looked at the food like it was a gift from Buddha then back at Shirou. Kaede looked at him an embarrassed flush on her cheeks she hoped he mistook for chill. "Emiya, are you sure?"

Shirou nodded smiling. "Go ahead, you three look like you need it more than I do."

Kane bowed respectfully. "Thank you for your kindness." She then produced her own pair of chopsticks from within her coat pockets and proceeded to dig in.

Kaede was quick to join in with a battlecry of, "Itadakimasu!"

Yukika looked at Shirou with concern in her eyes. The third-rate magus just ushered her onwards. "You'd better hurry before Kaede and Kane eat it all."

Yukika smiled. "I'll make it up to you." She promised before digging in herself. The moment she tried his omelets she knew Shirou was a five-star chef or something close to it. It was no wonder even the usually polite Kane was eating with a gusto close to that of Kaede. She dug in with relish herself entering a chopstick battle for the last octopus shaped sausage which she eventually emerged triumphant.

Once the bento was finished Yukika sat back with a smile on her face. "All in favor of Shirou-san making bento's for everyone from now on say aye."

"Aye!" the Track Trio chorused as one being.

"Motion passed." Kane said with a tone of finality.

"Wait don't I get a say in this?" Shirou already had several Servants to feed on top of Rin and himself thank you very much.

Kaede grinned maliciously. "Sorry Emiya, but you've been out-voted."

Shirou slumped there really was no arguing with women was there. "I see."

A chorus of laughter broke out on the roof, started by Yukika and even Shirou found himself joining in. Once it subsided the secret magus took control of the conversation. "So, what exactly did you want to talk to me about?"

"The foreign beauties living at your house of course, what else?" Kane was being unusually blunt.

Shirou shook his head like a wet dog. "What?"

Kaede gave him a deadpan glare arms crossed. "C'mon man, you've got two gorgeous women living with you… it's every guys fantasy. Don't tell me nothing's happened between the two of you."

"Nothing _has_ happened between the two of us!" Shirou defended.

"_Yet_ you mean." Kane rebutted. "Give it time. Three people… living in such close quarters… who aren't related… there's no way certain feelings _won't_ develop." Kane paused between each point for dramatic effect.

Shirou shook his head in embarrassed denial. "We are not talking about this."

Kaede gave Shirou a playful shove. "Oh, come on Emiya! We're just messing with you… sorta. It's not our fault you have this weird harem protagonist aura around you that attracts girls like moths to a flame." Shirou squirmed uncomfortably as Kaede continued, "So can you really blame us for thinking it's only a matter of time before Harunobu-san and Romee-san, _who are living in your house with you_, fall for you too?"

Shirou opened his mouth to argue but they were the ones who pointed out that Rin, Sakura, Miyu, and even Ayako were carrying torches for him. He supposed it was possible. '_But Saber and Ruler are Heroic Spirits! Not that they know that… still though, the thought of those either Miyamoto Musashi or Jeanne D'arc falling for me is ridiculous. I'm just a magus and not a very good one at that.'_

"Earth to Shirou, Earth to Shirou. Come in Shirou." Kaede joked.

The would-be hero was snapped out of his thoughts by his new friend. "Sorry I…"

A sudden explosion from the Middle School section of the school stopped Shirou in mid-sentence. He was on his feet in moment's covered sword in hand. "I need to go. Stay here, I'll be right back."

Shirou sprinted for the door and the echo of his footsteps could be heard.

"Well what are we waiting for, let's go!" Kaede growled heading for the door herself.

Yukika had a fearful deer in headlights look. "But didn't Shirou-san say-"

"He's no teacher, and anyway people might be hurt, you know some first aid since your brothers are always getting scraped up."

Yukika fretted a moment more, but it was her worry that some of her brothers might be hurt that spurred her into action. "Let's go."

Kane was the last one to move. "We should be careful; we don't know what's going on. At best we should hang back and help any wounded we see."

"Right, now let's go!" Kaede may be brave, but she wasn't stupid. She knew whatever caused that was dangerous. Still people could be hurt and in need of help. So, she sprinted after Shirou the other two following close behind.

* * *

Leo had just finished lunch and in all honesty, he didn't know what Shinji was so concerned about. The common rabble fell at his feet the moment he all but looked in their direction. Not that he expected any less. He _was_ their future ruler after all. Still, Leo felt Shinji was correct in the idea that he must learn to conduct himself correctly amongst his subjects. They naturally gravitated towards him for of course they felt the charisma of their future king. But though he basked in the reverence of his subjects Leo did not forget about his mission. He had found one potential enemy master. A girl with short dark hair and jade green eyes. She kept her distance from him. Leo thought that was reason enough to consider her an enemy Master, yet the more he observed her the more intriguing he became.

The girl Miyu Satkatsuki he learned from some brief offhand questioning was the ward of one Rin Tohsaka, the Second Owner of Fuyuki City. That alone doubled the chances she was a Master… Yet at the same time, Leo found himself drawn to the standoffish girl. For unlike all the rest of his female classmates who fawned over his every move, Miyu kept her distance. She was cool and aloof, yet polite. The smile she glued on her face whenever she was forced to interact with him was forced he could tell that much but he much preferred her forced smile filled with dislike with something other than total adoration for him than that of the others around him.

'_Bump-bump'._

Leo felt his heart flutter. '_That was… unusual. What was that? Was the lunch food poisoned? I know it was subpar, but it wasn't that terrible.' _Again, Leo's thoughts turned to Miyu and how stunning her found her eyes when she sent a glare his way.

'_Bump-Bump.'_

There it is again. Leo looked at himself in the bathroom mirror and saw his face flushed. He addressed his Servant_. 'Gawain could I be getting ill?'_

A titter of laughter echoed in Leonardo's head. "_No milord I do not think so."_

'_Then what is the matter with me?'_

The Knight of the Sun was silent for a moment as he considered how to answer. "_Well milord, these symptoms they only appear when you think of Lady Satkatsuki yes?"_

Leo gave a hesitant nod. '_Indeed… do you think she's worked some sort of magecraft on me without my knowing?'_

"I… don't think that's the case milord," Gawain paused for a moment before saying. "_May I be frank?"_

Leo nodded. "Please."

"It seems to me you've developed an… infatuation for Lady Satkatsuki."

Leo blinked. "An infatuation? You think I have feelings for her Gawain?"

"_It certainly seems that way milord."_

Leo shook his head, "Impossible, she is likely an enemy master. She is my enemy, a stepping stone on the way to my kingship."

"_So too was Lady Igraine the enemy to Lord Uther at one time Milord. Yet they gave birth to my previous king, Arthur Pendragon."_ The Knight of the Sun reminded his current liege lord.

Leo couldn't refute that. All Arthurian legends pointed to Lady Igraine of Cornwall as mother of King Arthur Pendragon and Uther as the father.

"Furthermore, what is a King without a Queen… or an eventual heir?" Gawain queried.

Leo rubbed his hairless chin. "You make a compelling case Gawain. A compelling case indeed. It would be nice to have one who would challenge me and not simply bend to my every whim…" Leo slapped a fist into his palm a smile spreading across his face. "Yes, I have decided!"

Leo didn't get a chance to finish his declaration for in that moment, The Servant of the Sword materialized and casually blocked a pair of daggers that were thrown at the back of his charges head.

"Milord, get down!"

Glancing down at the daggers Leo rolled his eyes. "An Assassin? How droll. Gawain, deal with this nuisance, will you?"

The blonde knight in his resplendent white armor nodded. "Right away milord," He called out to the Assassin, "Come out and face me coward!"

Assassin materialized fully, crouched, and clinging to the bathroom mirror with a dagger in her free hand. Leo looked into her eyes and noted that they were cold and hard like lumps of amethyst had replaced the sensory organs. She had a beautiful face, something unbecoming of a Hassan-I-Subbah, with her lips arrayed in a narrow line as she focused on him, like a viper ready to strike.

Gawain was faster though spinning on his heel and swinging his gleaming pale white blade in both hands, he took out the mirror and the concrete wall behind it with little effort. Screams of innocents could be heard, and it grated on Saber to cause such distress, but his Master's safety was paramount. Yet Assassin slipped away like a snake again due to the dust his attack had kicked up and thanks to her Presence Concealment skill. Half a dozen daggers came flying out of the cloud of dust faster than bullets. The White Knight easily deflected them, but he noted that what the sharpened projectiles touched, they melted on contact.

'_Those daggers can't so much as scratch Leo, he's dead if they do. I can't pursue Assassin either or I'll leave Leo exposed. Even though I can deflect the daggers she could still rush me, but I'd have the advantage in close range then… So that likely means…'_

'_It's a stalemate._ Serenity thought to herself. '_I could rush in as I doubt that Saber 'Gawain' his Master called him, Likely the Knight of the Roundtable, has the speed to keep up with me but still… Close quarters with a Knight of the Round doesn't sound fun… But this is for Master and Shirou-san's sake.'_

With her mind made up Assassin of Yellow charged the Saber. She saw him ready his blade, but she could tell at a glance that yes indeed, he was slower than her in terms of agility. She might just be able to pull this off. When Saber made for a downward chop at her head, Serenity fell down to her knees on the tile floor and slid on her knees allowing her back to touch the floor and for the keen edge of her opponents blade, likely his Noble Phantasm, to miss her by mere millimeters as she glided between his legs.

Flipping to her feet Assassin made to simply brush her hand across the boy's face. That is all she would need to do to end this, she wouldn't even need to activate her Noble Phantasm. One touch was enough to kill the boy in front of her. She reached out like a striking viper, even as she heard the sound of steel slicing through the air to take her head… Serenity closed her eyes and smiled. '_Sorry I couldn't stick around longer Miyu-sama… Shirou-san… goodbye.'_

There was a sudden clang of steel biting into steel and someone was foolish enough to grab her arm, stopping her hand's advance to her target. Serenity glanced back and her amethyst eyes widened in shock.

"Shirou-san?!"

* * *

Shirou dashed through the halls of Homurahara heedless of the rules of the school or the Twilight World as he created a magic circuit out of his nerves and reinforced his legs as much as he could. People could be hurt, rules be damned!

Shirou had made good time, in under a minute he had sprinted across the school grounds to the middle school and blasted through the front doors taking the steps to the upper floors two at a time going towards the screams. What Shirou found were a couple of students flung across the hallway half buried in rubble concrete dust caking the hallway in a sepia gloom like something out of an old western movie. Shirou quickly moved the chunks of stone off the downed middle school boys and checked for their pulses… He smiled when he found they were alright.

'Probably just knocked out', he thought as he made his way into the boy's room.

What Shirou found, he didn't expect. By the looks of things, Serenity was attacking an enemy Master, and the Servant, Saber he assumed due to the gleaming white sword, _Excalibur Galatine_ _sword of Gawain' _his special skill told him, was about to take her head off in the attempt.

'_No.'_ Shirou thought, '_No one is dying here, today at school.'_

With that thought in mind Shirou pulled his old man's sword out of the innocuous bag he'd kept it in all day long, and dashed into combat drawing the ceremonial sword as he went, to make sure it survived this encounter, Shirou reinforced the blade with his meager capabilities with prana.

As he charged in, he failed to notice two things. The first was the black aura that surrounded his weapon, and the second was the trio of girls who had followed him from the roof of the high school. They witnessed everything that was about to transpire.

Shirou wedged himself in-between the two heroic spirits, with one arm he grabbed Serenity's forearm, with the other, he held up his blackened sword, doing his best to block the strike of the fabled Green Knight. Shirou felt the bones in his arm break in two places and his arm dislocated with an audible 'pop'. He took a knee, grit his teeth in pain, but his sword did not give way to the Knight of the Round. Instead, golden brown eyes met shocked blue. Shirou could feel blood running down his palm from how hard he was gripping the hilt at the moment…

"Shirou-san." Serenity called out behind him in shock.

Shirou would blame it on the blood loss later but her found himself calling out through the pain. "Serenity-san, don't you know fighting in school can get you detention?" He turned to the Saber whose sword he was somehow holding back. "And that defacing school property can get you expelled?"

Seeing Shirou-san the only man who'd ever been able to safely touch her on the floor bleeding, Serenity saw red. "_**Zabaniya: Delusional Poison Body."**_

An aura of bubbling purple venom enshrouded the Assassin of Yellow then, and she leapt, like a spider at Saber clinging to him with her legs wrapped around his waist. Forcing his mouth open with her hands, Serenity forced her tongue into his mouth. Though her entire body was poisonous, to kill enemy Servants she required contact with her mucus membrane three times. Ideally through a kiss.

She only managed one before she was thrown off by the Saber and into the opposing wall, but that was enough for him to go weak in the knees and vomit blood.

No longer needing to force back Galatine, Shirou let his shattered arm drop. "Ouch."

"Gawain are you alright?" A regal slightly snobbish sounding voice asked.

The Servant of the Sword forced himself to his knees. "Milord, I apologize. I did not expect the boy to…"

For the first time, Shirou saw the boy he saved walk past him he was young, blonde, he had a charismatic air about him that gave way to arrogance. He waved away his Servant's apology. "No need to apologize, you did what was expected of you, you kept me safe." He turned and looked Shirou up and down with a curious eye. "Now, what to do with you?"

"Who… who are you?" Shirou found himself asking.

The boy cocked his head to the side. "What an odd question to ask your enemy. Yet I shall indulge you. Leonardo B. Harway. Master of Saber of Red, and future king of humanity, and you are?"

"Shirou Emiya… Master of Saber of Yellow I guess."

Leo smiled. "I see, you are a Master, yet you intervened yourself?"

"It was easier, I was right here. No need to trouble Saber over something so minor." Shirou was being his usual blunt self.

Leo nodded. He didn't see Saber other than his own. "I am stuck Shirou. On the one hand, you are my enemy in a weakened state and for me not to take advantage of this and kill you would be foolish. On the other hand, you saved my life. Something you didn't have to do."

Shirou forced himself on his feet. If he was going to die, he was going to do it on his feet, not on his knees like some punk. Shirou wasn't against killing he'd done so many times to keep the peace. To keep other people smiling he took the lives of others. But what this boy was saying that he would walk over the bodies of anyone just to become the 'King of Humanity' he couldn't understand or accept someone who had reasoning like that.

"If I were in your position I would let you go. If only because we aren't supposed to be fighting during the day." Shirou reasoned.

Leo nodded. "True we are breaking the rules aren't we?" Leo walked forward and placed his hand on Shirou's wounded arm. Heat ran up Shirou's arm as his bones snapped back together and his shoulder popped itself back into place on its own.

Leo turned and made his way towards the hole his Servant made. "As a show of kindness for sparing my life I have fixed your arm and decided to spare your own." The young would-be king made to leave when a short man in a mottled green cloak appeared before him. Leo narrowed his eyes in annoyance, "Assassin, why are you here?"

Shirou glanced at the Assassin's weapon, a crossbow made of yew. The _Yew Bow_ of Robin Hood of Loxley his special skill told him. That was another Servant identified.

Robin Hood raised his bow and pointed it at Shirou. "Sir, I was ordered by my master via a Command Spell to take out any enemy masters should I have the chance."

"I have already decided to spare this one since he saw fit to spare my life. Surely this supersedes the Command Spell."

Shirou and the Servant stared each other down for a moment, neither flinched or looked way.

Assassin of Red felt a pair of blades settle gently against his neck. "Put the bow down nice and easy yeah?"

"Saber." Shirou said, surprised to see his Servant.

Saber still in her school uniform puffed her cheeks out in annoyance at her reckless master. "What's the big idea Shirou, going out and having all the fun without me?!"

Shirou couldn't help himself, he laughed a little. "Sorry, I just kinda reacted without thinking."

Saber waved him off, the razer edges of her swords nicking Assassin of Red's shoulder. "It's fine, its fine, next time though, bring me along yeah? It's no fun showing up late unless that's the plan of course."

Shirou felt his Servant was being far too casual in a hostage situation right now but at the same time, she put him at ease. "I'll do that."

"Good, good." Saber said happily before she focused her attention on the Assassin, she had dead to rights, her tone being harsher. "Now, I am going to move these, and you are going to get lost, understood?"

"Yes." Assassin of Red replied curtly.

Saber flipped her bladed around and planted them in their sheathes. Assassin disappeared in a flash of presence concealment. She then addressed Leo in her jovial tone. "You helped my master so your free to go… besides, blondie over there doesn't look too good." She pointed to Gawain who was looking very pale, and vomiting blood in a used paper towel receptacle.

"Yes, thank you for your assistance Saber of Yellow. You and your Master."

Saber grinned and gave Leo a thumbs up. "No problem."

"That said I have every intention of defeating you and claiming my rightful throne." Leo finished.

"Ha, we'll see about that brat. Good luck though. We'll see you on the battlefield." Despite the fact he was an enemy and she had every intention of killing him, Saber bore him no ill will.

Leo nodded, feeling irked at being called a brat. "Yes, we shall be seeing each other both on and off the battlefield. Good day to you both. Come Saber."

Pulling his head out of the trash bin the Green Knight arterialized. "Coming Master." He sent Shirou one final perplexed look before he vanished from sight.

Once the two were gone, Shirou gave a sigh of relief. "Thank god that's over." He turned to Serenity who had stayed tucked into the back wall after revealing her trump card. "You and Miyu are in big trouble.

"Umm, Emiya…"

Shirou looked out the giant gaping hole to see the track Trio peeking around the wall. All of them with gobsmacked looks on their faces.

Kaede the one who had spoken up finished. "Just what the hell was all that just now?"

'_Fuck me, Rin is going to have a coronary when she finds out about this.' _He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Well, he began," Not sure how to tell his friends magic was real and he was a wizard, more or less. "It's complicated."

* * *

Word Count: 20,500 Number of Pages: 49 Date Completed: ?

* * *

**AN: Hello loyal readers and welcome to the third chap of Fate Triumvirate that is a long time coming! Sorry it took so long but, Helios was having issues IRL so I had to find a second beta. It took a couple months to find one who was up to my standards. Everyone give IcySnowSage, my new beta, a warm welcome! That said, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and till the next one, Bubbajack out!**

**And before I go Servant Profiles!**

**Master:** Leonardo B. Harwey

**Servant: **Saber of Red

**Secondary Classes:** Rider

**True Name:** Gawain

**Title:** Knight of the Sun, The Green Knight

**Gender:** Male

**Height/Weight: **180cm/78kg – 5'11/172lbs.

**Hair/Eye Color: **Dishwater Blonde/Blue

**Complexion: **Light

**Alignment: **Lawful Good

**Parameters:**

**STR: B+ ** **MAG: A**

**END: B+ ** **LUK: A**

**AGI: B ** **NP: A++**

**Class Skills:**

**Magic Resistance: **_Ability to outright negate magical effects. _**(B): **Cancel spells with a chant below three verses. Even if targeted by _High-Thaumaturgy_ and _Greater Rituals_, it is difficult for them to be affected.

**Riding: **_Ability to ride mounts and vehicles._ **(B): **Most vehicles and animals can be handled with above average skill, even vehicles that did not exist in the time period one was alive in, for they are no exception. However, cannot ride the likes of _Phantasmal Species_ such as _Monstrous Beasts_.

**Personal Skills:**

**Bercilak's Belt: (EX): **_Belt of the Green Knight which in some legends, Gawain was turned into by Morgan le Fey, as a Skill. Grants EX Rank Battle Continuation._

**Charisma: **_Ability to lead both troops and nations. _**(E): **Charisma is a rare talent, but in rare cases, there are things that can affect the personality development of the owner. In the case of Sir Gawain, this resulted in a '_Natural Knight_' against whom no one could object.

**Numeral of the Saint: (EX**_): is a condition unique to Sir Gawain's existence. Only during the three hours between 9AM and midday and the three hours between 3PM and sunset, Gawain's power increases three-fold. This was related to the ancient belief that the numeral '3' was the sacred number of the Celtic gods._

**NP:**

**Excalibur Galatine: **_Resurrected Sword of Victory. _**Type:** Anti-Army **Rank**: A+ **Range:** 20-40 **Max # of Targets:** 300

**Lore: **_is the shining sword that Sir Gawain possesses. It is the sister-sword of Excalibur, also originally owned by the Lady of the Lake, but it is not as well-known as a holy sword and rarely mentioned due to having its legend hidden in the shadow of King Arthur's holy sword. While Excalibur collects the lights from the planet, Sir Gawain's holy sword is said to represent the rays of heat from the sun with a Pseudo-Sun contained in the hilt. Arthur has the providence of the night from the pedigree of the goddess of the moon, Alto and Artemis, and Gawain is the knight who receives the blessing of the sun. It is similar to its owner in that it shows its greatest power at noon, making visible the unsurpassed sharpness of the edge that sliced cleanly through both the shield and chainmail of the enemy Saracen soldier, Priamus._

_Differing from Excalibur's centralized slash of light that destroys castles, Galatine brings forth a broad wave, radiation-type attack that completely annihilates an enemy army. Its sun characteristic is reflected in its activation like rays of heat from the sun. Gawain tosses the sword into the air where the pseudo sun inside creates a miniature sun before landing back in his grasp. While the sun floats overhead, he generates a large magic circle with a sun symbol in the center under him as he draws the sword behind his back. With a motion like drawing a sword, the pseudo sun, and the energy put into it, the attack extends as far as it is possible to visualize the blade of the sword, around thirteen kilometers "or so", like its prototype, Caladbolg. He unleashes a horizontal slash of flame that pierces through the enemy and erupts into a giant ball of fire that engulfs them._

* * *

**Master: **Julius B. Harwey

**Servant:** Assassin of Red

**Secondary Classes:** Archer

**True Name:** Robin Hood

**Title:** Green King of Sherwood Forest

**Gender:** Male

**Height/Weight:** 175cm/65kg – 5'9/146lbs.

**Hair/Eye Color:** Light Brown/Green

**Complexion:** Pale

**Alignment:** Chaotic Good

**Parameters:**

**STR:** D **MAG:** C

**END:** D **LUK:** A

**AGI:** A **NP:** D

**Class Skills:**

**Presence Concealment:** _Skill of the Assassin Class. Allows one to hide one's presence as a Servant._ **(B+):** Hides one's presence as a Servant. Suitable for spying. It is possible to disappear and become extremely difficult to be detected. The rank of Presence Concealment drops considerably when preparing to attack. Plus gained from Noble Phantasm.

**Magic Resistance:** _Ability to outright negate magical effects._ **(D):** Can resist single action spells, equivalent to an amulet that rejects magical energy.

**Personal Skills:**

**Subversive Activities:** _Ability to take out a certain amount of the enemy before an engagement._ **(A):** Up to 60% of enemy forces can be taken out before being engaged.

**Independent Action:** _A skill of the Archer class. Allows the Servant to act without mana from the master. Utilized as a personal skill for this Servant._ **(B):** Can exist in the world for up to two days without a contract.

**NP:**

**Yew Bow:** _The Bow of Prayer_ **Rank:** D **Type:** Anti-Unit **Range:** 4-10 **Max # of Targets:** 1 Person

**Lore:** _is a crossbow made from the wood of one of the Yew trees from the Forest of Sherwood, which Robin Hood used as his base of operations. He makes use of it as a regular bow to shoot arrows and utilizes poison arrows to poison his targets. Also, his trump card, once the bow's name is invoked, it has the ability to instantaneously amplify and surge out any impurities stockpiled in the target's stomach, such as poison and diseases. If the target is poisoned for example, it will make that poison explode like gunpowder, dealing extreme damage close to a lethal dose of poison. If invoked in the situation the target is poisoned, it strengthens the current poison already afflicting the target, increasing the poison damage in addition to extending the effect of poison by another turn, while adding the even deadlier poison of the Yew tree to stack on top of that._

_The bow can materialize a number of roots that swarm around the target and take the form of a tree that subsequently bursts and withers. His Yew Bow houses ultra-nature powers such as the extremely strong poison from the Yew tree, and the ability to reproduce Sherwood Forest. Besides being simply a weapon effect, it is possible to dye the surroundings with the poison of the Yew tree with an arrow fired and pierced onto the ground acting as the origin, turning the area into a space of poison._

_The Yew Bow's Noble Phantasm projectile is not an arrow, but rather an explosion trigger for the impurities within the target's body. It does not have to pierce through the body, it just has to at least touch it. Even if the target deflects the projectile, they will still explode. However, Robin Hood cannot use both the Yew Bow and No Face May King at the same time._

**No Face May King:** _Faceless King_ **Rank:** B **Type:** Anti-unit (self) **Range:** 0 **Max # of Targets:** 1

**Lore:** _is Robin Hood's hidden Noble Phantasm, magic clothing that erases any sign of the wearer. Robin Hood is an incarnation of nature, introduced and inherited as a custom of the Celts from the Beltane Festival (Spring Festival) after the establishment of the "May Festival", where participants in the festival pray to the forest spirit Jack in the green for the arrival of spring. In the May Festival, they make a circle and dance around a pillar built in the center of the village square where a boy and a girl on the cusp of adulthood would impersonate the "May King" and the "May Queen". The "May King" is a metaphor for Robin Hood, a "transparent king" who added brown accents to his green clothing so that his figure would not be seen._

_At the festival, the May King magic costume of green skin is just clothing with ordinary brown accents. Needless to say, with these leaves and brown stems (the Green Man) of the costume, Robin Hood is definitely the incarnation of nature. Wearing the May King costume erases any sign so that those who wear it will naturally melt into that appearance. With this, Robin Hood holds the same level of ability as the Fairy Puck. It is said to be stronger than the Bow of Prayer on the back of his hand as a one-sided victory cheat item, disabling the readings of both of the combatants in battle. However, Robin Hood cannot use both the Yew Bow and No Face May King at the same time._

_It does not hide magical energy, but it does completely conceal the wearer's sound and scent. It allows for Robin Hood to be a sniper who hides his figure in this cloak, exhibiting Assassin-like behavior. If he begins to attack, his targets can sense that he is following them, but are unable to actually detect his location._


End file.
